On September 11, 1991, the Embraer EMB 120 Brasilia turboprop, registered N33701,[3] crashed while initiating its landing sequence, killing all 14 people on board.

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.

The failure of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) surveillance to detect and verify compliance with approved procedures was cited as a contributing factor.

[citation needed] The NTSB determined the probable causes of the accident as follows: The failure of Continental Express maintenance and inspection personnel to adhere to proper maintenance and quality assurance procedures for the airplane's horizontal stabilizer de-ice boots that led to the sudden in-flight loss of the partially secured left horizontal stabilizer leading edge and the immediate severe nose-down pitchover and breakup of the airplane.

[10] NTSB member Dr. John Lauber suggested that the probable cause of the accident included "The failure of Continental Express management to establish a corporate culture which encouraged and enforced adherence to approved maintenance and quality assurance procedures.

The Discovery Channel Canada / National Geographic TV series Mayday featured the accident in a Season 11 episode titled "Breakup Over Texas.

)[citation needed] This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Transportation Safety Board.