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Accidents · NTSB ANC04IA115 · Final report

Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82 incident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 26, 2004

On September 26, 2004 at about 4:00 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82, registered N16894, was involved in an incident near Anchorage, Alaska (Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl. airport). It was a public-use flight (federal) under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 131 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The loss of engine power due to the flight crew's failure to follow published procedures and directives, and an inadequate preflight inspection, which resulted in ice ingestion into the left engine during the takeoff roll. Factors associated with the incident were icing conditions and ice on the wings.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
September 26, 2004 · about 4:00 pm local time
Place
Anchorage, Alaska · Ted Stevens Anchorage Intl. · map
Type
Incident
Injuries
No one was hurt; 131 people were on board or involved.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82
Registration
N16894 · registry record · serial 49393
Damage
Not recorded
Flight
Public-use flight (federal) · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

The crew of a McDonnell Douglas MD-82 airplane reported a partial loss of engine power during the takeoff roll. The crew aborted the takeoff, and discovered that the left engine had sustained foreign object impact damage. The airplane had remained parked outside overnight prior to the incident flight, and heavy wet snow/slush was in the parking area and on the taxiway at the time of departure. The captain reported that she did not request to have chemical de-icing done during the preflight, since the outside air temperature was above freezing at the time of departure. The captain reported that there were no signs of ice on the wings during the early morning preflight. A maintenance technician visually inspected both engine inlets for any accumulation of debris prior to departure. The incident airplane was not equipped with an inboard, over-wing heater blanket system, but was equipped with a series of non-skid strips and tuft triangular decal/symbols, that aid crews in performing a preflight tactile inspection of the upper inboard wing surface. The operator's safety officer reported that the crew did not perform a tactile inspection of the upper wing surfaces prior to the incident departure. The MD-80 flight crew operating manual states: "Clear ice can also form on wing upper surface when cold-soaked fuel is in the main wing fuel tanks and the airplane is exposed to conditions of high humidity, rain, drizzle, or fog at ambient temperatures well above freezing." A weather observation at the time of the incident consisted of: Sky conditions and ceiling, 200 feet, few, 600 feet, overcast; visibility, 10 statute mile; wind, 290 degrees at 8 knots; temperature, 37 degrees F; dew point, 37 degrees F.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

Pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
  • Last flight review: March 1, 2004
  • Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: no injuries

Co-pilot

  • Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
  • Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
  • Last flight review: March 1, 2004
  • Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: rgt
  • Injury: no injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 50,687.4 hours
  • Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 2004; 637.2 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 150,500 lb
  • Seats: 148
  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Engine: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 (turbofan); 0 hours total
  • Operator: U.S. Marshals Service, Dept. Of Justice

The flight

  • Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 10:55 am
  • Destination: BFI Seattle WA
  • Flight plan: IFR
  • Runway 32, 11,584 ft by 150 ft
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 290° at 8 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: overcast at 600 ft; a few clouds at 200 ft
  • Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
  • Altimeter: 29.03 inHg
  • Observation at 10:53 am from ANC

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Crew19
Passengers112

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.