Boeing 737-300 incident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1992
On October 12, 1992 at about 2:15 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N586US, was involved in an incident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 133 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE HIGH CYCLE FATIGUE FAILURE OF BLADES ON THE STAGE 1 HIGH PRESSURE COMPRESSOR, WHICH RESULTED IN BLADE FRACTURE AND SUBSEQUENT INTERNAL ENGINE DAMAGE AND FIRE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 12, 1992 · about 2:15 pm local time
- Place
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Pittsburgh Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 133 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N586US · registry record · serial 23931
- 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 AIR CARRIER B 737 300 WAS ON TAKEOFF ROLL, WHEN THE AIRCREW WAS ADVISED BY OTHER AIRPLANES THAT 'SMOKE AND FLAMES WERE...COMING FROM THE RIGHT ENGINE.' THE CREW ABORTED THE TAKEOFF, STOPPED THE AIRPLANE ON THE RUNWAY AND ORDERED AN EVACUATION BY THE EMERGENCY SLIDES. NONE OF THE 5 CREWMEMBERS NOR THE 128 PASSENGERS WERE INJURED. THE ENGINE FIRE WAS SUPPRESSED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS SHUTDOWN. THE FAILURE WAS CONTAINED TO THE ENGINE INTERIOR. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE REVEALED A HIGH CYCLE FATIGUE FAILURE OF 2 BLADES OF THE STAGE 1 HIGH PRESSURE COMPRESSOR.
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: 15,327 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model; 74 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,560 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 8, 1992; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 138,500 lb
- Seats: 133
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM 56-3B2/B1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: PIT at 2:15 pm
- Destination: CLT Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28, 8,039 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 128 |
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.