Douglas DC-9-32 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, June 8, 1995
On June 8, 1995 at about 11:08 pm local time, a Douglas DC-9-32, registered N908VJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia (Hartsfield International). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 55 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of Turk Hava Yollari maintenance and inspection personnel to perform a proper inspection of a 7th stage high compressor disc, thus allowing the detectable crack to grow to a length at which the disc ruptured, under normal operating conditions, propelling engine fragments into the fuselage; the fragments severed the right engine main fuel line, which resulted in a fire that rapidly engulfed the cabin area. The lack of an adequate recordkeeping system and the failure to use 'process sheets' to document the step-by-step overhaul/inspection procedures contributed to the failure to detect the crack and, thus, to the accident.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1995 · about 11:08 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Hartsfield International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 55 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-32 · all DC-9-32s on the register
- Registration
- N908VJ · no longer on the register · serial 47321
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As ValuJet Flight 597 began its takeoff roll, a 'loud Bang' was heard by the occupants, the right engine fire warning light illuminated, the crew of a following airplane reported to the ValuJet crew that the right engine was on fire, and the takeoff was rejected. Shrapnel from the right engine penetrated the fuselage and the right engine main fuel line, and a cabin fire erupted. The airplane was stopped on the runway, and the captain ordered evacuation of the airplane. A flight attendant (F/A) received serious puncture wounds from shrapnel and thermal injuries; another F/A and 5 passengers received minor injuries. Investigation revealed that an uncontained failure of the right engine had occurred due to fatigue failure of its 7th stage high compressor disc. The fatigue originated at a stress redistribution hole in the disc. Analysis of fatigue striation measurements indicated that the fatigue crack had originated before the disc was last overhauled at a repair station (Turk Hava Yollari) in 1991, but was not detected. Also, investigation of the repair station revealed evidence concerning a lack of adequate recordkeeping and a failure to use 'process sheets' to document the step-by-step overhaul/inspection procedures. (See NTSB/AAR-96/03 for additional information)
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 instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,500 hours in all; 3,500 in this make and model; 221 in the last 90 days; 91 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 630 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 2, 1995; 45 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 118
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: ATL at 11:07 pm
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27R, 11,889 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 290° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,500 ft; scat
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from ATL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| Passengers | 5 | 52 |
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.