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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2013 · about 7:51 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, Texas · Dallas/Fort Worth Intl · 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
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
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.