Airbus Industrie A-310-324 incident near Covington, Kentucky, December 7, 1991
On December 7, 1991 at about 8:51 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-310-324, registered N819PA, was involved in an incident near Covington, Kentucky. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 122 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INSTALLATION OF AN IMPROPER RESTRICTOR IN THE BLEED AIR LINE BY THE MANUFACTURER, WHICH CAUSED THE RVDT TO FAIL DUE TO HEAT, AND BROUGHT ABOUT THE UNCOMMANDED POWER LOSS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 1991 · about 8:51 pm local time
- Place
- Covington, Kentucky
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 122 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-310-324 A310-324
- Registration
- N819PA · registry record · serial 456
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 6000 FEET THERE WAS AN UNCOMMANDED REDUCTION OF POWER ON THE RIGHT ENGINE, ACCOMPANIED BY A WARNING OF THE THRUST REVERSER BECOMING UNLOCKED. THE ENGINE WAS SHUTDOWN AND THE AIRPLANE RETURNED FOR LANDING. A READOUT OF THE DFDR DISCLOSED THE THRUST REVERSER WAS NEVER UNLOCKED. THE INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED THAT THE RESTRICTOR PLACED IN THE BLEED AIR LINE USED TO HEAT THE REVERSER COMPONENTS WAS TOO LARGE AND THESE COMPONENTS HAD BEEN EXPOSED TO EXCESSIVE HEAT. ELECTRICAL WINDINGS HAD FAILED AND A FALSE SIGNAL OF AN INFLIGHT THRUST REVERSER UNLOCK CAUSED THE POWER TO BE REDUCED ON THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE WAS ORIGINALLY MANUFACTURED BY PRATT & WHITNEY AS A PW4460 AND THEN REBUILT AS A PW4152, AT WHICH TIME THE REVERSER COMPONENTS MANUFACTURED BY ROHR WERE ADDED. THE JOB WAS DESCRIBED AS A 'RUSH JOB,' AND ROHR SENT TWO MECHANICS TO ASSIST PRATT & WHITNEY IN THE REBUILD.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 302,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW4152 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Airlines
The flight
- Destination: JFK New York NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 12 | |||
| Passengers | 110 |
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.