Aerospatiale ATR-72-12 incident near Dallas, Texas, June 14, 1997
On June 14, 1997 at about 10:25 pm local time, a Aerospatiale ATR-72-12, registered N438AT, suffered minor damage in an incident near Dallas, Texas (Dallas/Ft Worth Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 32 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the engine fire during descent resulting from a loose, leaking fuel transfer tube due to improper installation and alignment of the transfer tube's retaining clip. Contributing factors were the inadequate design of the clamp, the failure of the operator to comply with the recommendations of the manufacturer's Service Bulletin (SB), and the failure of the FAA to issue an Airworthiness Directive to mandate the manufacturer's SB.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 14, 1997 · about 10:25 pm local time
- Place
- Dallas, Texas · Dallas/Ft Worth Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 32 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale ATR-72-12 · all ATR-72-12s on the register
- Registration
- N438AT · no longer on the register · serial 438
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The ATR-72-12 transport airplane was at 5,000 feet MSL when the #2 engine fire warning light illuminated. After shutting down the #2 engine and actuating the fire extinguishing system, the crew executed a single engine landing followed by a normal taxi to the ramp and normal passenger debarkation. Inspection of the P&W 127 series engine showed that a fuel transfer tube adjacent to the #2 nozzle was misaligned and 'backed out' of its retaining clip. Fuel streaking and fire damage were evident down the right side of the engine from the #2 nozzle downward along the fuel nozzle ring assembly. The incident occurred 3.4 hours after the fuel nozzles, retaining clips, and transfer tubes were replaced during maintenance on the #2 engine. The engine manufacturer had published several service bulletins addressing the potential of incorrectly installing the retaining clips and recommending that existing clips be replaced with stronger lock plates that provide a positive locking mechanism to avoid misalignment during installation. The manufacturer issued a Service Bulletin in October 1994 and Transport Canada issued an AD in November 1996, both citing how the retaining clips could be installed 'out of position' and recommending that operators use the newer lock plate. The FAA had published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on July 17, 1995, addressing the aforementioned issues. FAA AD 98-14-02 was published in the Federal Register on July 1, 1998. The AD was similar to the Canadian AD issued on November 19, 1996.
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, flight engineer, military
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 3,200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,444 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 1, 1997; 68 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 48,500 lb
- Seats: 64
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW-127 (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Simmons Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: HOU Houston TX at 9:27 pm
- Destination: DFW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:30 pm from DFW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 28 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N438AT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.