Aerospatiale ATR-72-212 incident near Dfw Airport, Texas, October 24, 1995
On October 24, 1995 at about 8:24 pm local time, a Aerospatiale ATR-72-212, registered N263AT, suffered minor damage in an incident near Dfw Airport, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 68 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
'O' ring failure in the fuel line to the left engine nozzle assemblies, which resulted in a fuel line leak and a left engine compartment fire.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 24, 1995 · about 8:24 pm local time
- Place
- Dfw Airport, Texas
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 68 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale ATR-72-212 ATR 72-212 · all ATR-72-212s on the register
- Registration
- N263AT · registry record · serial 263
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During normal cruise, the left engine experienced a 20% loss of torque. The crew was informed by company maintenance personnel that they might be experiencing a possible fuel nozzle leak on that engine. The #1 engine fire warning light illuminated, and the fire horn activated. The captain secured the engine and discharged the #1 fire suppression agent. Immediately following the discharge, the associated warning lights on the fire handle and condition lever extinguished. An uneventful single engine landing was completed and the passengers deplaned without further incident. Evidence of thermal damage was found in the aft section of the engine in the area of the lower turbine support case. Examination of the system revealed that 3 of the 144 'O' rings associated with the 14-nozzle fuel system were deteriorated or damaged. Also, during the investigation, testing at the engine manufacturer's facility revealed that the inside diameter of the copper gasket used at the fuel drain nipple was 30 to 40% larger than required. This resulted in misalignment and a leak at the fitting.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,000 hours in all; 270 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,498 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 23, 1995; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 48,500 lb
- Seats: 76
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW127-TM (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Simmons Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: OKC Oklahoma City OK at 7:59 pm
- Destination: DFW Dallas/Ft Worth TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 64 |
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 FTW96IA024.