Date:	Tuesday 1 February 1994
Time:	21:40
Type:	Saab 340B
Owner/operator:	American Eagle
Registration:	N349SB
MSN:	340B-349
Year of manufacture:	1993
Total airframe hrs:	528 hours
Engine model:	General Electric CT7-9B
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 26
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, repaired
Category:	Accident
Location:	New Roads-False River Regional Airport, LA (HZR) -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Passenger - Scheduled
Departure airport:	Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, TX (DFW/KDFW)
Destination airport:	Baton Rouge-Ryan Airport, LA (BTR/KBTR)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
While descending for landing at Baton Rouge, the captain actively moved the power levers from the flight idle gate into the beta range for undetermined reasons. The propellers and engines experienced extreme overspeed, necessitating a power-off emergency landing at night and the airplane ran off the end of a 5,000-ft runway. Although the design and certification of the power levers met existing requirements, those requirements were inadequate because they permitted a design that did not prevent movement into the beta range in flight.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The captain’s movement of the power levers below flight idle in flight, the inadequate certification requirements and consequent design of the airplane’s power levers that permitted them to be moved below the flight idle position into the beta range, either intentionally or inadvertently, while in flight, and the inadequate action taken to require a positive means to prevent beta operation on airplanes for which such operation is prohibited."

Air Safety Week 3 October 1994 (p. 1-2)
Aviation Week & Space Technology 7.3.94 (29/30)
Flight International
NTSB Safety Recommendations A-94-61 through -63
NTSB/AAR-94/06
Scramble 181

photo (c) NTSB; New Roads-False River Regional Airport, LA (HZR); February 1994; (publicdomain)

photo (c) NTSB; New Roads-False River Regional Airport, LA (HZR); February 1994; (publicdomain)

photo (c) NTSB; New Roads-False River Regional Airport, LA (HZR); February 1994; (publicdomain)

Date/time	Contributor	Updates