Embraer EMB-120 accident near San Diego, California, May 21, 1997
On May 21, 1997 at about 8:14 pm local time, a Embraer EMB-120, registered N198SW, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Diego, California (Miramar Nas airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 17 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
The failure of maintenance personnel to allow adequate time for the engine oil to drain back into the engine oil reservoir prior to adding additional oil, thereby overfilling the reservoir, which resulted in an engine fire and subsequent damage to hydraulic lines and components, including the brakes, which precluded stopping the airplane prior to overrunning the runway end. An additional factor was the confusing and insufficiently defined procedures for servicing the engine oil.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 21, 1997 · about 8:14 pm local time
- Place
- San Diego, California · Miramar Nas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 17 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Embraer EMB-120 · all EMB-120s on the register
- Registration
- N198SW · registry record · serial 120277
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
After suffering a total loss of power and subsequent fire of the number 2 engine, the Skywest crew made a successful emergency landing. The airplane overran the end of the runway by 1,300 feet, but no additional damage occurred and there were no injuries to the passengers or crew. Immediately prior to the accident flight, a maintenance person added 2.5 quarts of oil to the number 2 engine, when he could not determine the engine's oil level. No evidence was found of any assembly anomalies during the engine hot section inspection, which was performed about 2.3 hours prior to the accident flight. The engine fire resulted from ignition of oil that had leaked across bearing seals. Oil will back flow into the engine rather than drain overboard from the filler neck under overfull operating conditions. The elapsed time between engine shutdown and oil level determination provided by Embraer in its Maintenance Manual are inconsistent with the instructions provided by Pratt & Whitney. The Skywest mechanic may not have allowed adequate elapsed time to permit the oil to drain back into the engine reservoir prior to adding additional oil, thereby overfilling the tank. The clear color of the oil, particularly in a new engine, is difficult to see when determining oil quantity.
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: 12,100 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 56 in the last 30 days; 10,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,646 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 1, 1997; 141 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 26,609 lb
- Seats: 33
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW-118B (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAN CA at 8:10 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24R, 12,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from NKX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 14 |
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 LAX97FA189.