McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 N270AX

Summary

On 2 May 2007 at about 15:06 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30 registered N270AX, operated by Omni Air International Inc, was involved in an incident near Atlanta, Georgia, United States. 306 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 May 2007 at 15:06

Classification

Incident

Location

Atlanta, Georgia, United States

Nearest airport

Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta (ATL)

Coordinates

33.6367, -84.4281

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30

Registration

N270AX

Category

Airplane

Engines

3

Operator

Omni Air International Inc

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Shannon → Atlanta

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA07IA088

Nobody was injured.

The improper overhaul of the horizontal stabilizer chain drive unit drive assembly.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

While flying at 13,000 feet mean sea level (msl), and decelerating to 250 knots in a DC-10-30 airplane, the horizontal stabilizer could not be moved by either commands from the autopilot or using the primary and alternate control switches from the cockpit. The horizontal stabilizer remained at approximately 1 degree airplane nose-up which resulted in excessive cockpit control forces. An emergency was declared with air traffic control and the flight landed uneventfully on runway 27R at ATL. The inoperative horizontal stabilizer trim system was caused by improper overhaul of the horizontal stabilizer chain drive unit drive assembly (horizontal stabilizer drive assembly) P/N AJH 7337-507, S/N DCA-418 by omission of one pin (P/N 3D0009-5-4), one nut (P/N MS21043-08), and one washer (P/N NAS 1252-BL) which secure the drive gear of the horizontal stabilizer drive assembly. The omission of the parts resulted in fatigue failure of another pin (P/N AJH7378-1) and shear failure of the single installed pin (P/N 3D0009-5-4). This prevented output of the horizontal stabilizer drive assembly being transmitted to acme screws of the horizontal stabilizer. There was no flight crew write-ups for the previous 93 days related to pitch trim. The horizontal stabilizer drive assembly was overhauled on April 30, 1999, and installed in the incident airplane on April 23, 2006. The airplane had accumulated 2,421 hours and 473 cycles since the overhauled assembly was installed.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.