Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B incident near San Luis Obispo, California, May 13, 1997
On May 13, 1997 at about 1:05 pm local time, a Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B, registered N313AE, was involved in an incident near San Luis Obispo, California (San Luis Obispo County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 21 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Compressor stalls of both engines due to in-service compressor contamination. Factors in the compressor stall of the right engine were an atmospheric temperature inversion and a transient fuel flow condition produced when the constant thrust on takeoff (CTOT) system was disabled by the pilot's inadvertent movement of the right engine power lever during execution of the emergency procedure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 1997 · about 1:05 pm local time
- Place
- San Luis Obispo, California · San Luis Obispo County · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 21 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Saab-Scania Ab (Saab) 340B
- Registration
- N313AE · registry record · serial 340B-313
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew reported that all pretakeoff checks were normal and that prior to setting takeoff power the Constant Thrust on Takeoff (CTOT) computer was set to 100-percent engine torque for takeoff. The ensuing takeoff was normal through liftoff and gear retraction; however, during initial climb the left engine experienced compressor stalling and lost power. As the crewmembers were executing the engine failure checklist, the right engine first increased power in Automatic Power Reserve (APR) and then began to similarly stall and lose power. After about 20 seconds the engines recovered sufficient power to enable the flight crew to remain airborne and return for landing on the departure runway. Review of the digital flight data recorder (DFDR) output and internal examination of each engine revealed that the engines had compressor stalled due to accumulated dirt and contaminants on the compressors. A review of the right engine DFDR data revealed that, while the left engine was stalling, the flight crew had retarded the right engine power lever past the 64-degree power lever angle position which tripped off the CTOT system. The resulting transient in fuel flow, in company with an atmospheric temperature inversion, reduced the stall margin of the right engine.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,600 hours in all; 120 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 6,500 as pilot in command; 23,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,594 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 25, 1997; 308 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 29,000 lb
- Seats: 37
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CT7-9B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Wings West Airlines, INC
The flight
- Departed from: SBP at 1:00 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 4,799 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from SBP, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 18 |
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.