Learjet incident near Palm Springs, California, March 31, 2007
On March 31, 2007 at about 4:27 pm local time, a Learjet, registered N244FX, suffered minor damage in an incident near Palm Springs, California (Palm Springs International airport). It was flown under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The fatigue fracture of the fan blade due to the blade vendor's improper setup of the forging dies, which resulted in fan blades with airfoils that were below the minimum thickness in the highest stressed area of the airfoil and resulted in operating stresses that exceeded the material's capability. Contributing to the incident was the engine manufacturer's lack of a dimensional inspection of the fan blade's airfoil.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 2007 · about 4:27 pm local time
- Place
- Palm Springs, California · Palm Springs International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Learjet 60
- Registration
- N244FX · no longer on the register · serial 60-178
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced an in-flight fan blade separation in the left engine, a Pratt & Whitney Canada (PWC) PW305A turbofan, while in cruise flight at FL 410 near Palm Springs (PSP), California. The airplane diverted to PSP for an overweight, single-engine landing without further incident. The examination of the engine revealed that one fan blade was fractured transversely across the airfoil adjacent to the blade root platform. Metallurgical examination of the fan blade revealed that the blade had separated from a fatigue fracture. A fluorescent penetrant examination of the fan blades from both engines revealed numerous fan blades had crack indications. Some of the blades were broken open to reveal fatigue cracks similar to that noted on the fractured blade. A dimensional inspection of the cracked fan blades revealed that they were under the minimum thickness in a highly stressed area of the airfoil. The investigation determined that the fan blades were too thin due to an improper forging die setup when the blades were manufactured. At the time the fan blades were made, PWC did not require a dimensional inspection of the fan blade airfoils.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,863 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 5,475 as pilot in command; 1,073 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 6, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,631 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 21, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 23,500 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW305A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Jet Solutions LLC
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA
- Destination: BED Bedford MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 4:15 pm from TRM, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.