Continental Express Flight 2574
Wreckage of the aircraft's horizontal stabilizer | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | September 11, 1991 |
| Summary | In-flight structural failure due to maintenance error leading to in-flight breakup. |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| N33701, the aircraft involved in the accident, pictured in 1989 with a test registration | |
| Aircraft type | Embraer EMB 120RT Brasilia |
| Operator | Britt Airways on behalf of Continental Express |
| IATA flight No. | RU2574 |
| ICAO flight No. | BTA2574 |
| Call sign | JETLINK 2574 |
| Registration | N33701 |
| Flight origin | Laredo International Airport, Laredo, Texas, United States |
| Destination | Houston Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas, United States |
| Occupants | 14 |
| Passengers | 11 |
| Crew | 3 |
| Fatalities | 14 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Continental Express Flight 2574 was a scheduled domestic passenger airline flight operated by Britt Airways from Laredo International Airport in Laredo, Texas to Houston Intercontinental Airport (IAH) (now called George Bush Intercontinental Airport) in Houston, Texas. On September 11, 1991, the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprop, registered N33701, crashed while initiating its landing sequence, killing all 14 people on board. The aircraft wreckage hit an area near Eagle Lake, Texas, approximately 65 miles (105 km) west-southwest of the airport.
The media stated that there was initial speculation that a bomb had destroyed the aircraft; the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) subsequently discovered that missing screws on the horizontal stabilizer led to the breakup.