NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW90FA015
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
A FUEL TANK LEAK, ARCING FROM THE EXTERIOR LIGHTING SYSTEM, AND FAILURE OF COMPANY/MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO COMPLY WITH AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE (AD).
Factual narrative
AFTER THE PILOT WAS CLEARED FOR TAKEOFF, HE ACTIVATED THE STROBE LIGHTS AND TRANSPONDER. APPROXIMATELY 2 TO 5 SECONDS LATER, A MINOR EXPLOSION OCCURRED AND FIRE ENGULFED THE RIGHT WING. THE AIRPLANE HAD A RECENT HISTORY OF FUEL LEAKS IN THE RIGHT WING. A REVIEW OF THE MAINTENANCE RECORDS REVEALED THAT AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE (AD) 74-24-03 HAD NOT BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THE AD STATED, 'TO PRECLUDE POSSIBLE IGNITION OF FLAMMABLE FLUIDS AND VAPORS BY ARCING BETWEEN THE STROBE LIGHT AND AIRCRAFT STRUCTURE, DEACTIVATE THE STROBE LIGHT SYSTEM.' THE OPERATOR'S APPROVED AIRCRAFT INSPECTION PROGRAM (AAIP) DID NOT ADDRESS FUEL SYSTEMS AND RELATED COMPONENTS. THE FAA SUBSEQUENTLY ISSUED DIRECTIVES REVISING THE OPERATOR'S AAIP TO INCLUDE ROUTINE INSPECTIONS OF FUEL SYSTEMS AND RELATED COMPONENTS. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1989_FTW90FA015.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 or causal vocabulary (maintenance). 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 2011 · Conference Paper
Joint thunderstorm operations using the NASA F-106B and FAATC/AFWAL Convair 580 airplanes
During the 1985 thunderstorm season, three joint thunderstorm research flights were conducted within 100 n.mi. of NASA Langley by the NASA Storm Hazards F-106B and the FAA/USAF CV-580 research airplan…
- NTSB Aircraft Accident Reports 2004 · Accident report
In-Flight Separation of Vertical Stabilizer — American Airlines Flight 587
American Airlines 587 (A300-605R) Belle Harbor, NY, November 12, 2001 — 265 fatalities. Investigation of the post-takeoff in-flight breakup of American 587 over Belle Harbor.
- NASA NTRS 2024 · Presentation
American Airlines Flight 587 Crash Investigation: NASA Langley Research Center Participation and Perspective
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Other
Documentation for Three Wake Vortex Model Data Sets from Simulation of Flight 587 Wake Vortex Encounter Accident Case
This document contains a general description for data sets of a wake vortex system in a turbulent environment. The turbulence and thermal stratification of the environment are representative of the co…
- NASA NTRS 2016 · Conference Paper
An overview of SAE ARP 1587: Aircraft gas turbine engine monitoring system guide
A systematic approach to developing an engine monitoring system (EMS) is outlined. An extensive shopping list of EMS capabilities and benefits are included.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2020 · Conference paper
Under Pressure: Decision Making in Aircraft Maintenance and the Role of Gender
In aircraft maintenance, leaders are under near-constant pressure to maintain airworthiness. Every minute an aircraft cannot fly due to maintenance represents financial waste.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗