Airbus A320 232 incident near Long Beach, California, September 18, 2014
On September 18, 2014 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 2007 Airbus A320 232, registered N656JB, suffered minor damage in an incident during initial climb near Long Beach, California (Long Beach /Daugherty Field/). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The probable cause of the engine failure and subsequent undercowl engine fire was due to the fatigue fracture of a high pressure turbine stage 2 disk blade retaining lug that released two blades which impacted the low pressure turbine case causing a fuel line to fracture spraying fuel on the hot engine cases where it ignited. During a machining operation of the disk lug, a tool mark was introduced that set up the area for fatigue cracks to initiate.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 2014 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- Long Beach, California · Long Beach /Daugherty Field/ · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320 232 232, built 2007 · all A320 232s on the register
- Registration
- N656JB · registry record · serial 3091
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On September 18, 2014, at approximately 0930 Pacific standard time (PST), an Airbus A320-232, registration number N656JB, flight number 1416, powered by two International Aero Engines (IAE) V2527-A5 turbofan engines, experienced a No. 2 (right) engine failure and subsequent undercowl fire during initial climb after departing Long Beach Airport (LGB), Long Beach, California The flightcrew shutdown the No. 2 engine, discharged both fire bottles, and performed an air turnback to Long Beach. The airplane made a successful and uneventful single-engine landing at LBG The incident flight was a 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 domestic passenger flight from LGB to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) Austin, Texas. Day visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. Examination of the outside of the engine revealed a fractured fuel pressure line to the station 2.5 low pressure compressor bleed valve slave actuator and evidence of thermal distress such as consumed, partially-consumed or oxidized insulation blankets, loop clamps cushions, wiring harness sheathing, and sooting of various components and cases. No case breaches or penetrations were noted although the LPT case did exhibited a localized outward bulge. Disassembly of the engine revealed that a single fir tree blade retaining lug from the high pressure turbine stage 2 disk had fractured and 2 HPT stage 2 blades had released. Metallurgical examination of the fractured HPT stage 2 disk lug revealed evidence of fatigue from multiple origins that propagated from the pressure side (PS) of the middle (No. 2) fillet towards the suction side (SS) almost through the entire width of the lug before finally fracturing due to progressive tensile overload. Closer examination of the fractured lug revealed a concave 'divot'/groove in the PS No. 2 fillet, immediately adjacent to the fracture surface that ran the entire length of the fillet. It was concluded that the groove appeared to be a tool mark resulting from the machining (broach) operation during the original manufacturing of the disk. Inspections of other HPT stage 2 disks manufactured using the same broaching tool at the fractured disk found the same grooving. Based on this event, the disk broaching procedures were reviewed and best practices were implemented to address these manufacturing deficiencies.
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
- Loss of engine power (partial) during initial climb defining event
- Engine shutdown during initial climb
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during initial climb
- Cabin safety event during initial climb
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Turbine section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Organizational issues › Development › Manufacture/production › Equipment manufacture › Manufacturer
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › (general) › Not specified
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 169,756 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Iae V2527E-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Iae V2527E-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGB Long Beach CA
- Destination: AUS Austin TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 142 |
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.