Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-30 incident near Nashville, Tennessee, August 6, 1984
On August 6, 1984 at about 6:05 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-30, registered N956VJ, suffered minor damage in an incident near Nashville, Tennessee. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 85 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1984 · about 6:05 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 85 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-30 · all DC-9-30s on the register
- Registration
- N956VJ · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE CLIMB-OUT, A 15% DECREASE IN THE RIGHT ENG EPR WAS NOTED BY THE FLT CREW. THIS WAS FOLLOWED BY A LOUD BANG & FAILURE OF THE #2 ENG. THE #2 ENG WAS SHUT DOWN & THE ACFT WAS FLOWN BACK TO THE DEPARTURE ARPT. AN INITIAL EXAM REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT ENG TOP COWLING HAD SEPARATED & THE LOWER SECTION OF THE COMBUSTION CASE WAS SPLIT. ENG REMOVAL & TEARDOWN REVEALED THE #5 FUEL NOZZLE NUT LOCK RING WAS MIS-ASSEMBLED. THIS DETRACTED FROM THE TORQUE ON THE FUEL NOZZLE NUT & INADEQUATELY COMPRESSED THE #5 FUEL NOZZLE SEAL. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE FUEL NOZZLE LEAKED & ALLOWED LOCAL OVERTEMP OF THE OUTER COMBUSTION CHAMBER CASE AT THE 6 O'CLOCK POSITION.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 20, 1984; 91 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 104,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN
- Destination: PIT Pittsburgh PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:49 pm from BNA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 80 |
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.