Bombardier DHC-8-402 incident near Danville, California, March 5, 2013
On March 5, 2013 at about 7:20 pm local time, a 2004 Bombardier DHC-8-402, registered N417QX, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Danville, California (Norman Y. Mineta San Jose Int airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 51 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure and separation of a section of the No. 2 engine's combustion chamber's small exit duct (SED), which created an airflow disruption that led to an engine surge and subsequent fire. Contributing to the accident was the insufficient weld penetration that remained totally contained within the SED outer dome and did not penetrate through to the inner duct as required by the manufacturing specifications.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 2013 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Danville, California · Norman Y. Mineta San Jose Int · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 51 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bombardier DHC-8-402, built 2004 · all DHC-8-402s on the register
- Registration
- N417QX · no longer on the register · serial 4086
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was climbing through flight level 200 when the flight crew received a No. 2 engine audible fire warning, which was accompanied by a bang sound. The crew subsequently shut the No. 2 engine down and discharged both of the engine's fire extinguishing bottles. The cabin crew reported no visible fire, but the flight crew continued to receive a fire indication. The captain then declared an emergency, began a descent to the departure airport, and landed about 9 minutes after the event. After the airplane was stopped on the runway and the No. 1 (left) engine was shut down, an emergency evacuation was conducted using the main cabin door. An initial assessment by company personnel indicated that the fire damage to the airplane was limited to what was visible on the aircraft's exterior. A visual postincident examination of the engine revealed that sooting was present on external case surfaces, which were concentrated on the aft half of the No. 2 engine. A disassembly of the engine confirmed that about half of the SED outer dome within the combustion section had separated and was subsequently ingested into the gas path. To determine the reason for the separation, three locations on the outer dome were sectioned and examined. All three locations exhibited insufficient weld penetration so that the welds remained totally contained within the SED outer dome and did not penetrate through to the inner duct as required by the manufacturing specifications.
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
What happened, in order
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Combustion section › Damaged/degraded
- factor Organizational issues › Development › Manufacture/production › Equipment manufacture › Manufacturer
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 179 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days; 25,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 4, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: powered-lift; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,300 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 135 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 2,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 5, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,123 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 2, 2013; 49 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 40,112 lb
- Seats: 81
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt And Whitney PW 150 (turboprop); 23,838 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt And Whitney PW 150 (turboprop); 18,764 hours total
- Operator: Horizon Air
The flight
- Departed from: SJC San Jose CA at 7:08 pm
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 12L, 11,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.03 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from CCR, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 2 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 47 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR13IA144.