McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 N763NC
11 May 2005 · Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 11 May 2005 at about 00:36 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 registered N763NC was involved in an accident near Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. 145 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 4 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 00:36
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
- Nearest airport
- Minneapolis-St Paul Intl/Wold- (MSP)
- Coordinates
- 44.8806, -93.2169
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51
- Registration
- N763NC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Columbus → Minneapolis
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- CHI05MA111
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 145 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 137 |
Probable cause
the Captain's decision to shutdown the left engine during taxi with no hydraulic pressure on the right side hydraulic system to effectively operate the brakes, steering, or thrust reversers. A factor was the fatigue fracture of the rudder shutoff valve which resulted in the loss of right side hydraulic pressure.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The DC-9 was taxiing to the gate area when it collided with a company A-319 that was being pushed back from the gate. Prior to arriving at the destination airport, the DC-9 experienced a loss of hydraulic fluid from a fractured rudder shutoff valve located in the DC-9's right side hydraulic system. The left side hydraulic system had normal hydraulic pressure and quantity throughout the flight. The flightcrew elected to continue to the scheduled destination and declared an emergency while on approach to the destination airport. After landing, the emergency was negated by the flight crew and the airplane taxied to the gate. Flight data recorder information indicates the left engine, which provides power for the left hydraulic system, was shut down during taxi. The captain stated he did not remember shutting the left engine down, and that if he had, it would have been after clearing all runways. The first officer stated that he was unaware that the left engine was shut down. Upon arrival at the gate with the left engine shut down and no hydraulic pressure from the left system and a failure of the right hydraulic system, the airplane experienced a loss of steering and a loss of brakes. The flightcrew requested company maintenance to chock the airplane since they were unable to use brakes to stop the airplane. The crew said they were going to keep the "...engines running in case we have to use reversers..." The airplane began to roll forward and the captain applied reverse thrust but the reversers did not deploy. The airplane impacted the A-319 with a speed of approximately 15.65 miles per hour to 16.34 miles per hour. Evacuation of the DC-9 was completed approximately 5:22 minutes after the collision and evacuation of the A-319 occurred approximately 13:08 minutes after the collision. Examination of the left hydraulic system revealed no anomalies and examination of the right hydraulic system revealed a fractured rudder shutoff valve that displayed features consistent with fatigue. Following the accident, the airplane manufacturer issued a service letter pertaining to the replacement of the rudder shutoff valve based upon reliability information that was reported to them. The number of reports was greater than that of the Federal Aviation Administration's Service Difficulty Reports database, and less than the operators records.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 | N763NC | - | Substantial |
| Airbus A-319-114 | N368NB | Northwest Airlines Inc. | Substantial |
Other McDonnell Douglas DC-9 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 May 2005 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 | Denver, Colorado, United States | American Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 10 Dec 2005 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | Port Harcourt, Nigeria | Sosoliso Airlines | Fatal | 107 |
| 16 Sep 2004 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Aug 2006 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 | Long Beach, California, United States | Alaska Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 21 Mar 2006 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 | Denver, Colorado, United States | American Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |
| 20 Jun 2006 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 27 Dec 2005 | Piper PA-31-350 | Marshall, Minnesota, United States | Midwest Aviation | Minor injuries | - |
| 9 Aug 2005 | Grumman G-164 | Georgetown, Minnesota, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 18 Jun 2005 | Cessna 172M | Rochester, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Jul 2005 | Piper PA-32-300 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | Robert J. McMane | No injuries | - |
| 31 Aug 2005 | Cessna 182R | New Ulm, Minnesota, United States | Department of Natural Resources | No injuries | - |
| 26 Jun 2005 | Piper PA-28-151 | Willmar, Minnesota, United States | Willmar Air Service Inc | No injuries | - |