NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL89LA087
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
FIRE RESULTING FROM AN OIL LEAK OF UNDETERMINED ORIGIN IN THE AREA OF THE LEFT ENGINE.
Factual narrative
THE PLT REPORTED THAT BLUE SMOKE AND OIL WERE OBSERVED TRAILING FROM THE LEFT ENGINE AND WING DURING APPROACH. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, FLAMES WERE OBSERVED COMING FROM THE LEFT ENGINE NACELLE. THE CABIN FILLED WITH SMOKE, AND AN EMERGENCY LDG WAS MADE. THE LEFT WING BROKE OFF DURING ROLLOUT. THE AIRPLANE WAS CONSUMED BY THE FIRE SHORTLY AFTER COMING TO STOP. AN FAA INSPECTOR EXAMINED THE WRECKAGE; HE REPORTED THAT THE EXTENT OF THE FIRE DAMAGE PRECLUDED DETERMINATION OF THE EXACT SOURCE OF THE FIRE. HE NOTED THAT HE FOUND OIL-SOAKED PAINT CHIPS ALONG THE AIRPLANE FLIGHT PATH ABOUT 900 FT BEFORE THE TOUCH DOWN POINT. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_ATL89LA087.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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