Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B incident near Lafayette, Louisiana, August 12, 1997
On August 12, 1997, a Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B, registered N313AE, suffered minor damage in an incident near Lafayette, Louisiana (Lafayette Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 35 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the AC generator due to the failure of the anti-drive end bearing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 12, 1997
- Place
- Lafayette, Louisiana · Lafayette Regional · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 35 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B
- Registration
- N313AE · registry record · serial 313AE
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A passenger observed signs of fire coming from the number one (left) engine while the airplane was taxiing to the parking ramp. The flight attendant notified the flight crew and the captain secured both engines, stopped the airplane and ordered a ground evacuation on the taxiway. The passengers and crew deplaned through the normal exits without further incident. Examination of the left engine revealed that the fire was confined to the AC generator located on the top right side of the engine. Detailed examination of the AC generator revealed that the bearing had failed. The cause of the bearing failure could not be determined due to the extensive damage sustained by the bearing.
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: 692 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,364 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 6, 1994; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 29,000 lb
- Seats: 37
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CT7-9B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dfw Airport TX at 10:19 pm
- Destination: LFT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Observation at 11:51 pm from LFT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 32 |
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 N313AE 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.