Cessna 500 incident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, February 14, 2003
On February 14, 2003 at about 1:00 am local time, a Cessna 500, registered N891CA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Fort Lauderdale International airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate quality control following overhaul of the high-pressure compressor (HPC) impeller by other maintenance personnel that resulted in a machining groove on the aft face of the HPC impeller being undetected, which resulted in a fatigue fracture and an uncontained separation of the HPC impeller from the engine during the takeoff roll/run, and the pilot rejecting the takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 14, 2003 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Fort Lauderdale International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cessna 500 · all 500s on the register
- Registration
- N891CA · no longer on the register · serial 0168
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane experienced an uncontained rupture of the high-pressure compressor (HPC) impeller in the No. 2 engine during takeoff. The flight crew stated that at about 40 knots during the take off roll/run, there was a loud bang, followed by the engine fan passing by the right side cockpit window, and the captain aborted the takeoff, secured the engine, and exited the runway. There were no injuries to either of the flight crew who were the only persons onboard the airplane during the positioning flight, and the airplane incurred minor damage. Initial on-scene examination of the No. 2 engine revealed it had experienced a penetration of the engine case in the plane of the HPC impeller. There was a large hole in the top of the engine cowling at approximately 1:00 aft looking forward, just forward of the thrust reverser clamshell. The missing segment of the HPC impeller was not located. The examination revealed the HPC impeller had separated from the HPC and HPT (high-pressure turbine). A metallurgical examination of the impeller revealed that the fracture was consistent with there having been a low-cycle fatigue crack that initiated along the circumferential machining feature on the aft face of the impeller. River lines were observed to be emanating from the aft face, consistent with the crack having initiated in the area of the groove and ultimately separating the HPC impeller from the engine. According to maintenance records, the impeller had a total of 7311.5 hours/6116 cycles when installed at the last overhaul of the engine on December 13, 1996. The engine had since accrued 1,582.1 hours /1,760 cycles, for a total of 7,876 cycles since new. The cyclic life limit on the impeller is 8,400 cycles.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,200 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 169 in the last 90 days; 24 in the last 30 days; 6,500 as pilot in command; 2,430 on instruments
- Last flight review: September 8, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 41,000 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days; 30,000 as pilot in command; 10,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 24, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,201 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 30, 2002; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,850 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT-15D-1A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada JT-15D-1A (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 2:15 am
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 09, 8,423 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 360° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from FLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.