NTSB CAROL · Event
Event CHI89MA047
Registry · N901B
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
AEROSPATIALE SA341G GAZELLE
Year of manufacture
1977 · 12 years old at event
TCDS
H6EU · AIRBUS HELICOPTERS
Engine
TURBOMECA ASTAZOU SER (1050 hp)
Seats / Engines
5 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19940602
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S AC72FC
Registrant of record
INTERNATIONAL AIR SERVICES INC TRUSTEE
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
FAILURE OF THE THRUST REVERSER ACTUATOR LINKS DUE TO A MANUFACTURING/DESIGN PROBLEM. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE ADVERSE RUNWAY CONDITIONS AND THE CROSSWIND.
Factual narrative
THE PLTS RPRTD THAT WHILE LNDG ON A SNOW & SLUSH CVRD RWY, THEY USED FULL REVERSE THRUST & MAX BRAKING WITH ANTI-SKID, BUT THE ACFT DID NOT DECELERATE. THEY SELECTED THE #2 BRAKE SYS WITHOUT ANTI-SKID. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE MAIN TIRES FAILED (BLEW-OUT) & THE ACFT SLID OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE RWY, COLLAPSING THE LEFT MAIN GEAR. INV REVEALED THAT BOTH THRUST REVERSER ACTUATOR LINKS ON THE #2 ENG HAD FAILED. WITH THESE FAILURES THE #2 ENG WOULD HAVE CONTD TO PROVIDE FWD THRUST,PROPELLING THE ACFT DWN THE RWY. (ON THIS MODEL OF ACFT, ONLY THE #2 ENG WAS EQUIPPED WITH REVERSE THRUST CAPABILITY.) METALLURGICAL EXAMS OF THE FWD ROD END FITTINGS OF BOTH REVERSE THRUST ACTUATOR LINKS (P/N 8140-06LK) REVEALED THE BEARING LOOPS HAD FAILED FROM OVERSTRESS. MANDATORY SERVICE BULLETIN (S/B) F900-78-1 WAS ISSUED ON 5/18/89 TO PROVIDE A SAFETY SYSTEM TO PREVENT ACTIVATION OF THE THRUST REVERSER ABOVE IDLE, WHILE THE AIRCRAFT IS ON THE GROUND. ALSO, MANDATORY S/B F900-78-2 WAS ISSUED ON 7/19/89 TO REINFORCE THE THRUST REVERSER ACTUATING MECHANISMS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_CHI89MA047.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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