Saab 340 incident near Dubbo, Au, March 23, 2017
On March 23, 2017 at about 9:44 am local time, a Saab 340, registered VHRXS, was involved in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Dubbo. No one was hurt; 26 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 2017 · about 9:44 am local time
- Place
- Dubbo, Australia · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 26 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Saab 340 B
- Registration
- VHRXS · no longer on the register · serial 285
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On March 23, 2017, a Saab 340B, registered in Australia as VH-RXS, had an in-flight shutdown of the right engine, a General Electric CT7-9B. During the climb, the crew detected abnormal turbine temperatures and vibrations from the right engine. The crew shut down the engine and the airplane returned to Dubbo, Australia. The examination of the engine after the airplane landed revealed damage to the stage 4 turbine blades. The investigation of this incident is under the jurisdiction of the Australian Transport Safety Bureau. This report is for informational purposes only and contains information released by or obtained from the Government of Australia. Further information pertaining to this incident may be obtained from: Australian Transport Safety Bureau PO Box 967 Civic Square ACT 2608 Tel: +61 2 6257 4150 Website: http://www.atsb.gov.au Email: atsbinfo@atsb.gov.au
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 (cruise) defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 23 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.