Douglas DC-9-32 incident near Memphis, Tennessee, May 5, 1994
On May 5, 1994 at about 1:55 pm local time, a Douglas DC-9-32, registered N986US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 69 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FATIGUE FRACTURE OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OUTER CASE. A FACTOR WAS THE MANUFACTURER'S INADEQUATE INSPECTION CRITERIA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 1994 · about 1:55 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · Memphis International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 69 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-32 · all DC-9-32s on the register
- Registration
- N986US · no longer on the register · serial 47480
- 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 TAKEOFF, AN UNCONTAINED FAILURE OF THE LEFT ENGINE OCCURRED. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED A FATIGUE FRACTURE THROUGH A REAR FLANGE BOLT HOLE OF THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OUTER CASE, AT THE THREE O'CLOCK POSITION OF THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE HAD BEEN INSPECTED IN ACCORDANCE WITH AN APPLICABLE AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE; HOWEVER, THE FRACTURE OCCURRED 2,060 CYCLES PRIOR TO THE NEXT SCHEDULED INSPECTION. ADDITIONAL INSPECTION REQUIREMENTS RESULTED FROM THE EXAMINATIONS OF THE ENGINE AND THE FRACTURE.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,657 hours in all; 4,266 in this make and model; 198 in the last 90 days; 83 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 54,685 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 30, 1994; 37 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 108,000 lb
- Seats: 104
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines, INC
The flight
- Destination: PHX Phoenix AZ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36L, 9,319 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from MEM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 64 |
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.