Accident | |
---|---|
Date | July 6, 1996 |
Summary | Uncontained engine failure |
Site | Runway 17 at Pensacola Regional Airport, Pensacola, Florida, United States 30°28′40″N87°11′25″W / 30.47778°N 87.19028°W |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-88 |
Operator | Delta Air Lines |
IATA flight No. | DL1288 |
ICAO flight No. | DAL1288 |
Call sign | DELTA 1288 |
Registration | N927DA |
Flight origin | Pensacola Regional Airport, Pensacola, Florida |
Destination | William B. Hartsfield International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia |
Occupants | 142 |
Passengers | 137 |
Crew | 5 |
Fatalities | 2 |
Injuries | 7 |
Survivors | 140 |
Delta Air Lines Flight 1288 was a regularly scheduled flight from Pensacola, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia. On July 6, 1996, the aircraft serving the flight, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88, was on takeoff roll from Runway 17 at Pensacola when it experienced an uncontained, catastrophic turbine engine failure that caused debris from the front compressor hub of the left engine to penetrate the left aft fuselage. The cause of the engine failure was found to have been a fault in the manufacture of the fan. The failure of the airline to spot the resulting crack in the blade was a contributing factor.
The impact killed a female passenger and her son, and seven other passengers were injured. The pilot aborted takeoff and the airplane stopped on the runway. Three other passengers sustained minor injuries during the emergency evacuation. Most of the passengers were traveling on vacation. [1]
The aircraft involved was an eight-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-88 registered as N927DA. [2] It was built in April 1988 and delivered to Delta in November that same year. The aircraft was equipped with two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofan engines. It had accrued 22,031 flight hours and 18,826 takeoff and landing cycles. [3] : 8–13
The captain was 40-year-old John Ray Bunnell, who had been with Delta Air Lines since 1979, having previously flown for a commuter airline. He had 12,000 flight hours of experience, including 2,300 hours on the MD-88. The first officer was 37-year-old former Air Force pilot David William Hawk, who had been with Delta since 1990, having logged 6,500 flight hours, 500 of which were on the MD-88. [3] : 6–8 [4]
During a 15-minute walkthrough pre-flight inspection, [5] the first officer noted a few drops of oil coming from the "bullet" or tip of the number one (left) engine, although it was said to be "not that serious." The first officer also noticed a couple of missing rivets on the left wing. The pilot told National Transportation Safety Board investigators that neither problem was considered dangerous and that the aircraft was airworthy; therefore, maintenance was not informed. [3]
At 2:23 pm CDT, Delta flight 1288 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 17. The aircraft was filled to capacity with passengers. [5]
As the first officer was advancing the throttles and reaching an airspeed of 40 knots (74 km/h; 46 mph), the rear-cabin passengers and flight crew heard a very loud banging noise and experienced a blast-like sensation. Many of the passengers at the front of the cabin believed that the airplane may have blown a tire. Nearby witnesses observed a large fireball, and one had noticed the left engine hanging low seconds before the explosion. Passengers observed pieces of metal that were violently propelled through the cabin, and the rear of the plane filled with smoke. Despite the initial fireball, the aircraft did not sustain a fire. Some parts of the plane were propelled as far as a half of a mile away. [5]
The cockpit lost lighting and instrumentation and the pilot ended the takeoff by bringing the throttle to idle and engaging the brake, which brought the aircraft to an eventual stop without use of reversers or spoilers. [3]
When the aircraft stopped, the first officer unsuccessfully attempted to contact the tower, but the cockpit had lost power. The flight crew then activated emergency power, contacted the tower and declared an emergency. A deadheading Delta pilot sitting in the cockpit's jump seat went to inspect the rear of the aircraft. When the first officer saw the over-wing exits open and about half of the passengers missing along with hearing engine noise, he returned to the cockpit and advised the captain to disable the engines.
At 2:27 pm CDT, the pilot requested emergency medical assistance after learning of the large hole in the fuselage, engine debris throughout the cabin and injured passengers. He then reported that there was no evidence of smoke or fire in the cabin and that the rear-cabin door had been opened and the emergency slide was inflated. The flight attendant who initiated the evacuation through the door told the NTSB that she saw fire on the left engine and therefore abandoned evacuation through that door and directed passengers forward. She reported that as there were many injuries and possibly two dead, she began to evacuate the plane until she was stopped by the first officer. Because of the damage to the rear of the aircraft, the plane's stairs were found unsuitable for use. The captain requested portable air stairs, which arrived 25 minutes later. [3] Many passengers escaped through the emergency exits over the wings and then jumped to the ground or slid down chutes. [5]
An escaping passenger noted: "When we finally got out, we looked over there and saw the rotary blades out of the jet motor had blown and sheared the plane just like a can opener." [5]
Passenger Anita Saxton, 36, and her twelve-year-old son Nolan, who had been seated in Row 37 near the rear of the aircraft, were killed instantly when struck by flying fragments of metal. [6] Two of Saxton's other children were injured. A total of seven passengers were hospitalized, two of whom received severe injuries; one resulted from the initial event and the other from jumping from the wing during evacuation. [7] [5]
After a comprehensive investigation, the NTSB determined the most probable cause of the accident to be a fracture in the left engine's front compressor fan hub that resulted from failure of the airline's fluorescent penetrant inspection process to detect a potentially dangerous crack in the fan originating with the engine's initial manufacture. [3]
The McDonnell Douglas DC-10 is an American trijet wide-body aircraft manufactured by McDonnell Douglas. The DC-10 was intended to succeed the DC-8 for long-range flights. It first flew on August 29, 1970; it was introduced on August 5, 1971, by American Airlines.
Pensacola International Airport, formerly Pensacola Gulf Coast Regional Airport and Pensacola Regional Airport, and temporarily branded Pensacola Intergalactic Airport each February in recognition of the local Pensacon convention, is a public use airport three nautical miles northeast of the central business district of Pensacola, in Escambia County, Florida, United States. It is owned by the City of Pensacola. Despite its name, the airport does not offer scheduled international flights, though chartered international flights are not uncommon. This airport is one of five major airports in North Florida, and among these is the second largest by passenger count, only behind Jacksonville. The other four airports in North Florida are: Northwest Florida Beaches International Airport, Destin-Fort Walton Beach Airport, Tallahassee International Airport, and Jacksonville International Airport.
The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 is a series of five-abreast single-aisle airliners developed by McDonnell Douglas. It was produced by the developer company until August 1997 and then by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The MD-80 was the second generation of the DC-9 family, originally designated as the DC-9-80 and later stylized as the DC-9 Super 80 . Stretched, enlarged wing and powered by higher bypass Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 engines, the aircraft program was launched in October 1977. The MD-80 made its first flight on October 18, 1979, and was certified on August 25, 1980. The first airliner was delivered to launch customer Swissair on September 13, 1980, which introduced it into service on October 10, 1980.
Delta Air Lines Flight 1141 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight between Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, and Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah. On August 31, 1988, the flight, using a Boeing 727-200 series aircraft, crashed during takeoff at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, resulting in 14 deaths and 76 injuries among the 108 on board.
The Pratt & Whitney JT8D is a low-bypass turbofan engine introduced by Pratt & Whitney in February 1963 with the inaugural flight of the Boeing 727. It was a modification of the Pratt & Whitney J52 turbojet engine which powered the US Navy A-6 Intruder and A-4 Skyhawk attack aircraft. Eight models comprise the JT8D standard engine family, covering the thrust range from 12,250 to 17,400 pounds-force, and power the 727, 737-100/200, and DC-9. The updated JT8D-200 family, covering the 18,900 to 21,000 pounds-force, powers the MD-80 and re-engined Super 27 aircraft. The JT8D was built under license in Sweden as the Volvo RM8, a redesigned afterburning derivative for the Saab 37 Viggen fighter. Pratt & Whitney also sells static versions for powerplant and ship propulsion as the FT8.
The 1985 Manchester Airport disaster occurred when British Airtours Flight 28M, an international passenger flight, was en-route from Manchester Airport to Corfu International Airport. It caught fire on takeoff on 22 August 1985, resulting in 55 fatalities.
Continental Airlines Flight 1713 was a commercial airline flight that crashed while taking off in a snowstorm from Stapleton International Airport in Denver, Colorado, on November 15, 1987. The Douglas DC-9 airliner, operated by Continental Airlines, was making a scheduled flight to Boise, Idaho. Twenty-five passengers and three crew members died in the crash.
Pan Am Flight 845 was a scheduled international passenger flight between Los Angeles and Tokyo, with an intermediate stop at San Francisco. The flight was operated by a Boeing 747 registered N747PA and named Clipper America.
USAir Flight 5050 was a passenger flight that crashed on takeoff from LaGuardia Airport in Queens, New York. As the plane took off from LaGuardia's runway 31, the plane drifted to the left. After hearing a loud bang, the pilots attempted to reject the takeoff, but were unable to stop the plane short of the end of the runway. The plane continued past the end of the runway and plunged into Bowery Bay. Two passengers were killed.
A turbine engine failure occurs when a gas turbine engine unexpectedly stops producing power due to a malfunction other than fuel exhaustion. It often applies for aircraft, but other turbine engines can also fail, such as ground-based turbines used in power plants or combined diesel and gas vessels and vehicles.
National Airlines Flight 27 was a scheduled passenger flight between Miami, Florida, and San Francisco, California, in the United States, with intermediate stops at New Orleans, Houston and Las Vegas.
The 1994 St. Louis Airport collision occurred when TWA Flight 427, operated using a McDonnell Douglas MD-82, struck a Cessna 441 Conquest II during its take-off roll, killing both of its occupants. The collision took place on November 22, 1994, at St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL) in Bridgeton, Missouri.
Continental Airlines Flight 1404 was a Continental Airlines domestic flight from Denver International Airport in Denver, Colorado, to George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, Texas. On the evening of December 20, 2008, the flight crashed while taking off from Denver, resulting in two critical injuries, 36 noncritical injuries, and a hull loss of the Boeing 737-524 aircraft.
On December 3, 1990, two Northwest Airlines jetliners collided at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport. Flight 1482, a scheduled Douglas DC-9-14 operating from Detroit to Pittsburgh International Airport, taxied by mistake onto an active runway in dense fog and was hit by a departing Boeing 727 operating as Flight 299 to Memphis International Airport. One member of the crew and seven passengers of the DC-9 were killed.
Delta Air Lines Flight 1086 was a scheduled Delta Air Lines domestic passenger flight between Atlanta and New York's LaGuardia Airport. On March 5, 2015, the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft veered off the runway shortly after landing at LaGuardia Airport in New York City. The plane ran up the seawall berm and struck the perimeter fence, sliding along it for approximately 940 feet (290 m) before coming to rest with the nose of the aircraft hanging over the berm above Flushing Bay. There were no fatalities, although 29 people suffered minor injuries. The aircraft was seriously damaged and written off.
American Airlines Flight 383 was a scheduled domestic passenger flight from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, Illinois to Miami International Airport. On October 28, 2016, the Boeing 767-300ER operating the flight suffered an engine fire during takeoff. The crew aborted their takeoff, evacuating everyone on board, of whom 21 were injured. The plane was a write-off.
On October 28, 2016, FedEx Express Flight 910, a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F flying from Memphis International Airport to Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport was involved in a runway skid after a landing gear collapse, which resulted in a fire completely destroying the left engine and wing. Two crew members, the only people on board, were unharmed.
Delta Air Lines Flight 554 was a scheduled Delta Air Lines domestic passenger flight between Atlanta and New York City's LaGuardia Airport. On October 19, 1996, the McDonnell Douglas MD-88 aircraft struck the approach light structure and the vertical edge of the concrete landing deck during its approach to land on Runway 13 at LaGuardia Airport. The aircraft proceeded to skid 2,700 feet down the runway before coming to a rest. Of the 58 passengers and 5 crew members aboard, 5 received minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged and repaired, at a cost of $14 million.
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Transportation Safety Board .