NTSB CAROL · Event
Event ATL89MA123
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
AN IN FLIGHT CABIN FIRE OF UNDETERMINED ORIGIN, AND SMOKE (TOXIC CONDITION) IN THE CREW COMPARTMENT, WHICH RESULTED IN PHYSICAL IMPAIRMENT OF THE FLIGHT CREW.
Factual narrative
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ROUTINELY FLOWN TO PENSACOLA TO PICKUP A GULF POWER EXECUTIVE FOR A FLIGHT TO ATLANTA. THE PAX HAD 4 BAGS, 2 PLACED IN THE AFT BAGGAGE AREA BY THE GROUND CREW, THE OTHER 2 CARRIED ONBOARD BY THE PAX. AFTER TAKEOFF THE CVR RECORDED THE PAX STATING THAT THERE WAS A FIRE. THE FIRE IN THE AFT CABIN AREA WAS CONFIRMED BY THE 1ST OFFICER. AN EMERG WAS DECLARED TO THE PNS ATCT. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE AIRCRAFT WAS SEEN DESCENDING OUT OF THE OVERCAST STREAMING DARK SMOKE BEHIND IT. THE AIRCRAFT IMPACTED AN APARTMENT COMPLEX AND A POST CRASH FIRE DESTROYED IT. NO EVIDENCE OF A LIGHTNING STRIKE, AIRCRAFT SYSTEM MALFUNCTION, OR INCENDIARY DEVICE WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. FORENSIC CHEMICAL TESTS SHOWED TRACES OF HYDROCHLORIC AND SULPHURIC ACID ON PAX ARTICLES BUT NONE ON THE CABIN INTERIOR. METALLURGICAL EXAM OF BROKEN FUEL LINE SHOWED OVERLOAD FAILURE AND POST HEAT DISTRESS. THE INTERIOR OF THE COCKPIT WINDOWS WERE SEVERELY SOOTED. THE FLIGHT CREW DID NOT DON AVAILABLE OXYGEN MASKS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_ATL89MA123.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type. Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Book
The Airline Quality Rating 2003
The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early 1991 as an objective method of comparing airline quality on combined multiple performance criteria.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
Frequency of Specific Categories of Aviation Accidents and Incidents During 2001-2010
The purpose of this study was to determine the types of accidents or incidents that are most important to the aviation safety risk.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Application of CICCT Accident Categories to Aviation Accidents in 1988-2004
Interventions or technologies developed to improve aviation safety often focus on specific causes or accident categories. Evaluation of the potential effectiveness of those interventions is dependent …
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2016 · Journal article (JAAER)
The Tornado that Struck Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University on Christmas Day, 2006: Lessons Learned from a Near-Miss
An F2 tornado that touched down in Daytona Beach on Christmas Day afternoon caused over $50 million of damage to the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University campus and nearby neighborhoods.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2015 · Conference paper
Assessing the Commercial Aviation Impact of the Year 2000 Open Skies Agreements between the United States and African Countries with Longstanding Flights
The U.S. started a comprehensive campaign towards Open Skies agreement in 1992. The major benefits of Open sky agreement are reported to include increase of passenger and cargo volume between partners…
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2009 · Industry report (AQRR)
Airline Quality Rating 2009
The Airline Quality Rating (AQR) was developed and first announced in early 1991 as an objective method for assessing airline quality on combined multiple performance criteria.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗