Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529  

Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529
Near Carrollton, Georgia, August 21, 1995
Fatigue Crack on Propeller Leads to Crash That Kills 8

On August 21, 1995, Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 529, an Embraer EMB 120 aircraft, was traveling from the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Gulfport, Mississippi. As it climbed through 18,000 feet, a blade from the left engine propeller suddenly separated, distorting the left engine nacelle. This resulted in excessive drag and a loss of wing lift, causing the aircraft to quickly lose altitude. During an attempted emergency landing in a field in Carroll County, Georgia, Flight 529 passed through trees and impacted the ground before catching on fire.

Eight of the 29 passengers and crew on board the aircraft were fatally injured during the crash and the post crash fire. Thirteen people were seriously injured and eight escaped the crash with only minor injuries.

During a detailed probe into the cause of the accident, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the left propeller blade had failed due to a fatigue crack that originated from corrosion. According to the NTSB, two previous failures of the same type of propeller had occurred in the past, which prompted an inspection procedure developed and carried out by a Hamilton Standard facility. The blade involved in this particular accident was one of 490 recalled blades sent to Hamilton Standard for further evaluation and possible repair. Tragically, technicians were unable to properly inspect the blade and missed the fatigue crack.

In their final accident report, the NTSB blamed Hamilton Standard for failing to discover the corrosion on the doomed propeller because of "inadequate and ineffective corporate inspection and repair techniques, training, documentation and communications." The NTSB cited that a contributing factor to the accident was both Hamilton Standard's and the FAA's failure to require the adequate inspection of the propellers.

Baum Hedlund represented five passengers who survived this ASA crash as mentioned in the book , Nine Minutes, Twenty Seconds, The Tragedy & Triumph of ASA Flight 529.

LINK TO NTSB BRIEF:

http://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001207X04223&key=1