Summary
On December 31, 1989, a Boeing 737-204 (N198AW) was involved in an accident near Tucson, AZ. The accident resulted in 10 minor injuries, with 123 people uninjured out of 133 aboard. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: FAILURE OF THE OPERATOR'S MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO DETECT AN ELECTRICAL WIRE WHICH HAD CHAFED AGAINST A HYDRAULIC LINE AND WHICH EVENTUALLY ARCED CAUSING A LEAK IN THE HYDRAULIC LINE AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE AND HYDRAULIC SYSTEM FAILURE. IN ADDITION, PREVIOUS WEAR OF CHECK VALVES IN THE BACKUP HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS PREVENTED THE AIRPLANE FROM STOPPING ON THE RUNWAY. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER'S INADEQUATE GUIDANCE FOR MAINTAINING THE HYDRAULIC COMPONENTS.
This accident is documented in NTSB report LAX90FA061. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N198AW.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
FAILURE OF THE OPERATOR'S MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO DETECT AN ELECTRICAL WIRE WHICH HAD CHAFED AGAINST A HYDRAULIC LINE AND WHICH EVENTUALLY ARCED CAUSING A LEAK IN THE HYDRAULIC LINE AND SUBSEQUENT FIRE AND HYDRAULIC SYSTEM FAILURE. IN ADDITION, PREVIOUS WEAR OF CHECK VALVES IN THE BACKUP HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS PREVENTED THE AIRPLANE FROM STOPPING ON THE RUNWAY. A CONTRIBUTING FACTOR WAS THE AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER'S INADEQUATE GUIDANCE FOR MAINTAINING THE HYDRAULIC COMPONENTS.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX90FA061