NTSB CAROL · Event
Event FTW90FA177
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE THROTTLE CABLE. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: DARKNESS AND OBJECTS (FENCE AND UTILITY POLES) IN THE EMERGENCY LANDING AREA.
Factual narrative
THE PLT RPRTD THAT DURING A FLARE TO LAND, HE NOTED A 'CLICK' AS HE MOVED THE THROTTLE TO THE IDLE POSITION & THERE WAS NO REDUCTION IN ENG POWER. HE STATED THE THROTTLE SEEMED VERY LOOSE & DID NOT APPEAR TO BE CONNECTED TO THE ENG. THE ENG WENT TO FULL POWER & THE TURBOCHARGER OVERBOOST LIGHT ILLUMINATED. WITH AN AIRSPEED OF 120 KTS, HE ABORTED THE LANDING. AS HE ATTEMPTED TO MANEUVER THE ACFT TO LAND, THE ENG POWER WENT TO A MID-POWER RANGE, THEN SURGED TO A HIGHER RANGE. THE PLT WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN OFF-ARPT LANDING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE ACFT COLLIDED WITH A FENCE & LIGHT POLES, THEN A FIRE ERUPTED & THE PLANE WAS DESROYED. AN EXAM REVEALED THE THROTTLE CABLE HAD FAILED FROM HIGH CYCLE FATIGUE, WHICH RESULTED IN THE UNCONTROLLED ENG CONDITION. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1990_FTW90FA177.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
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