Airbus A319 132 incident near Greenville, Texas, October 15, 2013
On October 15, 2013 at about 7:51 pm local time, a 2006 Airbus A319 132, registered N516NK, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Greenville, Texas (Dallas/Fort Worth Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 150 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A high pressure turbine 2nd stage blade separation due to stress corrosion cracking in the J channel cooling cavity. The failed blade entered the gas path and caused substantial damage to the low pressure turbine. The engine was subsequently left at a high power setting for approximately four minutes, exposing the turbine hardware to temperatures that exceeded the material annealing temperature and resulted in in failure and separation of multiple engine components.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 12, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2013 · about 7:51 pm local time · cases in 2013
- Place
- Greenville, Texas · Dallas/Fort Worth Intl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 150 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Airbus A319 132 132, built 2006 · all A319 132s on the register
- Registration
- N516NK · no longer on the register · serial 2704
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Based on metallurgical analysis, a No. 1 engine high pressure turbine (HPT) 2nd stage blade separated below the blade platform due to stress corrosion cracking in the blade J-channel cooling air cavity. The liberated blade entered the gas path and caused extensive damage to the HPT and low pressure turbine (LPT) hardware and cases. The damaged engine was left at a high power setting for about four minutes until the crew received a No. 1 engine fire warning. During this time the turbine was exposed to temperatures that exceeded the material annealing temperature and resulted in failure and separation of multiple components including the LPT 3rd and 4th stage disks, turbine exhaust case center body, and the No. 5 bearing housing. The engine nacelle was not breached and all separated engine components traveled out the back of the engine.
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
What happened, in order
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,717 hours in all; 5,829 in this make and model; 156 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days; 8,341 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 2,001 hours in all; 267 in this make and model; 115 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 1,562 as pilot in command; 1,676 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 166,449 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Iae V2500SERIES (turbofan); 28,627 hours total
- Engine 2: Iae V2500SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Spirit Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas TX at 6:21 pm
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 145 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
10 documents, released by the NTSB on February 5, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flight Data Recorder - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 14 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Data Recorder - Attachment 1 - Tabular Data (Csv) Compressed Zip File | zip file | Download |
| 3 | Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Pilot's Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Flight Crew Record of Conversation | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Powerplants Group Chairman's Factual Report | PDF, 35 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Powerplant Factual Report - Attachment 1 - Engine Components Shipped to Pratt & Whitney | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 8 | Powerplant Factual Report - Attachment 2 - Pratt & Whitney Materials Lab Report W/photos | PDF, 35 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Powerplant Factual Report - Attachment 3 - Spirit Airlines A320 Abnormal/emergency Procedures | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Cockpit Voice Recorder - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 7 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N516NK: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- Airbus A319 329 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Airbus 1,507 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Iae V2500SERIES 262 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Engine: Iae V2500SERIES 262 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Dallas-Fort Worth International · nearest airport
- Hartsfield/Jackson Atlanta International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Texas 6,235 since 1982 · 1,060 in the last ten years
- Texas 29,940 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ENG14IA001.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.