Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B incident near Corsicana, Texas, November 17, 1995
On November 17, 1995 at about 2:45 pm local time, a Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B, registered N344SB, was involved in an incident near Corsicana, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 33 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Total loss of power in the left engine from ice ingestion; and failure of the left-engine auto-relight system caused by an open fuse in the Digital Electronic Control Unit (DECU), which prevented an automatic relight of the left engine. Factors relating to the incident were: inadequate design of the engine air inlet anti-ice system, which allowed ice/slush accumulation; inadequate action by the FAA to ensure compliance with certification requirements regarding inlet ice accumulation; and an inadequate procedure in the flight manual concerning use of the engine synchrophaser during single-engine operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 17, 1995 · about 2:45 pm local time
- Place
- Corsicana, Texas
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 33 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B
- Registration
- N344SB · no longer on the register · serial 340B-344
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During descent, after exiting light icing conditions, the left engine lost power, & power fluctuations of the right engine were noted. The flightcrew declared an emergency, diverted to the nearest airport, & made an uneventful landing. There were indications of engine ice ingestion, but no engine damage. During ground runups, the right engine performed normally. The left engine ran normally, except its auto-ignition & overspeed protection were inoperative due to an open fuse in the Digital Electronic Control Unit (DECU). The open fuse would have prevented an automatic relight after a flameout. The Saab 340 fleet has a history of power losses associated with in-flight icing, dating back to 1985. The manufacturer (Saab) had determined that ice/slush could accumulate on the rear wall of the inlet protective device (bird catcher) & shed from the 'splitter lip' into the engine airflow path. As a preventive measure, Saab had developed an auto-ignition system to provide automatic relighting of the engine. Also, Saab was testing an improved heating system to prevent ice/slush from accumulating on the splitter lip. Title 14 CFR Part 25 requires that airplanes be designed so that engine inlet ice that would adversely affect engine operation cannot accumulate. During flight tests with the left engine inoperative & the propeller synchrophaser engaged, multiple power fluctuations of the right engine occurred. Instructions to turn the synchrophaser 'off' were not included in the engine failure checklist.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,071 hours in all; 5,237 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 132 in the last 30 days; 12,627 as pilot in command; 894 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,543 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 6, 1995; 69 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 29,000 lb
- Seats: 37
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CT7-9B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Simmons Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: CRP Corpus Christi TX at 1:20 pm
- Destination: CRS Dallas/Ft Worth TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 50°F (10°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 30 |
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.