Incident Overview
Date: Wednesday 4 February 1959
Aircraft Type: Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune
Owner/operator: Royal Australian Air Force – RAAF
Registration Number: A89-308
Location: Hawkesbury River, Cornwallis, NSW –
ÿ Australia
Phase of Flight: Approach
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 8 / Occupants: 8
Component Affected: Power recovery turbine wheel (PRT)Power recovery turbine wheel (PRT)
Category: Accident
A Neptune aircraft crashed into the Hawkesbury River near Cornwallis, Richmond, NSW, Australia following a fire originating from a damaged power recovery turbine wheel (PRT). This fire resulted in fuel line ruptures, leading to an uncontrolled fuel release, which ignited and subsequently spread throughout the wheel well, causing a fire that ultimately failed the aircraft’s emergency landing pattern and resulted in wing failure in flight.A Neptune aircraft crashed into the Hawkesbury River near Cornwallis, Richmond, NSW, Australia following a fire originating from a damaged power recovery turbine wheel (PRT). This fire resulted in fuel line ruptures, leading to an uncontrolled fuel release, which ignited and subsequently spread throughout the wheel well, causing a fire that ultimately failed the aircraft’s emergency landing pattern and resulted in wing failure in flight.
Description
The Neptune crashed onto the banks of the Hawkesbury River at Cornwallis, Richmond, NSW, Australia after a fire in the port engine nacelle, caused by the disintegration of the power recovery turbine wheel (PRT) for the engine. The disintegration of the PRT caused the severing of fuel lines inside the wheel well, which then ignited the fuel spewing out of the lines. The ensuing fire burned fiercely and before the aircraft could enter into an emergency landing pattern the fire burned through to the wing subsequently causing the wing to fail in-flight a short time later.
Source of Information
http://www.adastron.com/lockheed/neptune/a89-308.htm, http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a89.shtmlhttp://www.adastron.com/lockheed/neptune/a89-308.htm, http://www.adf-serials.com.au/2a89.shtmlPrimary Cause
Disintegration of the power recovery turbine wheel (PRT)Disintegration of the power recovery turbine wheel (PRT)Share on:
