Dornier DO 328-100 incident near Eugene, Oregon, March 31, 1996
On March 31, 1996 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Dornier DO 328-100, registered N334PH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Eugene, Oregon. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 27 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
delamination of the wing de-icing boot, due to the boot reaching its life limit.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 31, 1996 · about 2:30 pm local time
- Place
- Eugene, Oregon · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 27 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dornier DO 328-100
- Registration
- N334PH · no longer on the register · serial 3012
- Damage
- Minor damage
- 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 as the airplane was climbing between 14,000 feet and 16,000 feet in light icing conditions, they felt a moderate shudder. The autopilot disconnected, and the airplane immediately rolled 15 degrees to the left. An emergency was declared, and the flight was diverted with no further incident. After landing, examination revealed that a section of the left wing de-icing boot had delaminated. When pressure was applied to the system, a bubble was created. When pressure was off, the delaminated plies were stretched beyond their elastic limits and would not return to the normal shape, thus creating wrinkles. Examination of the plies revealed that there was no evidence of contamination. The separation occurred between the adhesion coat and the knit fabric. The manufacturer of the boot reported that this mode of failure was consistent with an elastromeric construction that had reached the end of its useful life. The outer delaminated plies were found to be unusually durable, which resulted in a large bubble instead of the normally expected 'burst' of the outer plies.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,266 hours in all; 178 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 1,897 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,331 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 28, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 30,071 lb
- Seats: 34
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 119B (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Horizon Air
The flight
- Departed from: EUG OR at 2:00 pm
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- 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 | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 24 |
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.