Canadair CL-600 incident near Denton, Texas, April 28, 1987
On April 28, 1987 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Canadair CL-600, registered N600KC, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denton, Texas. It was an executive or corporate flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- April 28, 1987 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Denton, Texas · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Canadair CL-600 · all CL-600s on the register
- Registration
- N600KC · no longer on the register · serial 1012
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Executive or corporate flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT'S RIGHT ENGINE, WHILE IN FLIGHT, LOST A BLADE FROM ITS FOURTH STAGE TURBINE WHEEL DUE TO METAL FATIGUE. THIS RESULTED IN VARYING DEGREES OF DAMAGE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ENGINE AND CAUSED THE ENGINE TO SHUT ITSELF DOWN WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 19,000 FEET. THE AIRCRAFT HAD DEPARTED DALLAS, TX, 19 MINUTES EARLIER. AFTER THE ENGINE FAILURE THE FLT RETURNED TO DALLAS WHERE A SINGLE ENGINE UNEVENTFUL LANDING WAS ACCOMPLISHED. EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED BLADE REVEALED THE METAL FATIGUE WAS THE RESULT OF EXCESS POROSITY WHICH WAS PRESENT WHEN THE BLADE WAS CAST. THE MANUFACTURER AGREES THAT THIS IMPERFECTION SHOULD HAVE BEEN DETECTED BY THEIR INSPECTION METHODS AND THE BLADE REJECTED. THE BLADE FAILED AFTER ABOUT 400 HOURS OF OPERATION.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,700 hours in all; 85 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,310 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, March 5, 1987; 35 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 32,500 lb
- Seats: 13
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming ALF-502L-2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAL Dallas TX at 12:40 pm
- Destination: ATW Appleton WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 9 |
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.