British Aerospace HS.125-700A accident near New Orleans, Louisiana, February 3, 2001
On February 3, 2001 at about 3:10 pm local time, a British Aerospace HS.125-700A, registered N190WC, was substantially damaged in an accident near New Orleans, Louisiana (New Orleans Lakefront airport). It was a business flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot-in-command's inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in a flight with a blocked fuel tank vent. A contributing factor was maintenance personnel's failure to remove the tape covering the fuel tank vent following a pressure test.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 2001 · about 3:10 pm local time
- Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana · New Orleans Lakefront · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace HS.125-700A
- Registration
- N190WC · registry record · serial NA0329
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Business flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot-in-command (PIC) stated that they were flying at 4,000 feet msl over Lake Pontchartrain when the flight crew heard a bang. The pilots thought that they had experienced a bird strike, and they landed uneventfully at New Orleans. Post flight examination of the left wing revealed that the left wing's fuel vent was blocked with duct tape, and the wet wing fuel tank had collapsed. The fuel tank stringers and the wing ribs sustained structural damage. The PIC stated that the fuel tanks had been repaired and pressure tested prior to the flight. The PIC added that after the pressure test, the mechanic, who repaired the fuel tank, removed the tape from the right wing's fuel vent; however, both the mechanic and the flight crew failed to notice the duct tape over the left wing's fuel vent. The flight crew stated that there were no streamers or markers present to indicate that the fuel tank vent was covered with duct tape.
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, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 19,210 hours in all; 3,278 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 15,049 as pilot in command; 575 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 13, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,600 hours in all; 1,850 in this make and model; 70 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 3, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,203.8 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 1, 2001; 0.5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 25,500 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Airesearch TFE-731-3R-1H (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Airesearch TFE-731-3R-1H (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JAN Jackson MS at 2:30 pm
- Destination: NEW New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway UNK
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.37 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 pm from NEW
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW01LA067.