Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83 incident near Whiteman Afb, Missouri, July 12, 2001
On July 12, 2001 at about 11:24 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83, registered N9413T, suffered minor damage in an incident near Whiteman Afb, Missouri (Whiteman Afb airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 138 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The separation of a fan blade due to fatigue failure which led to case separation and loss of engine power in the left engine.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 12, 2001 · about 11:24 pm local time
- Place
- Whiteman Afb, Missouri · Whiteman Afb · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 138 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83
- Registration
- N9413T · no longer on the register · serial 53188
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The McDonnell Douglas MD-83, operated as a scheduled passenger flight, experienced a catastrophic failure of the left engine while flying at 31,000 feet. The flightcrew heard a thud and noticed that the left engine was surging. White smoke filled the cabin and cockpit. The flightcrew donned their oxygen masks, declared an emergency and initiated an emergency descent to Kansas City International Airport (MCI), Kansas City, Missouri. While descending towards MCI, the flight crew changed their emergency landing destination to Whiteman Air Force Base (SZL), Knob Noster, Missouri, when they were approximately 18 miles north of SZL. Flight crews are not issued approach charts for SZL by their operator. The flight crew requested the runway 19 instrument landing system (ILS) frequency from air traffic control (ATC) and were issued the incorrect frequency. The flight crew also requested and was given the inbound course for ILS 19. The flight crew never obtained the correct ILS frequency for the remainder of the flight and relied upon a radar approach to SZL. During the approach, ATC instructed the flight crew to maintain the a minimum vectoring altitude of 2,500 feet mean sea level. The flight crew descended below minimum vectoring altitudes of 2,500 feet mean sea level to 1,800 feet msl in order to descend below a cloud layer which was 1,400 feet above ground level during the radar approach to SZL. A metallurgical examination revealed a fatigue fracture of one fan blade. Examination of the left engine revealed that the fan exit case exhibited a 360 degree fan exit case fracture. Several service bulletins (SBs) applicable to the fan exit case introduce a newer engine case made of steel to replace the older aluminum case and to install stops to restrict the axial separation of the case in the event of case fracturing. The SBs state that there have been 5 instances of full 360 degree fan exit case fracture, all due to fan blade fracture. They further state that when the case fractures, the front of the engine with the cowl shifts forward. The incident engine had an aluminum fan exit case and did not have stops installed.
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; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,068 hours in all; 2,306 in this make and model; 111 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 2,305 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: May 7, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,305 hours in all; 527 in this make and model; 183 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 200 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 10, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 160,000 lb
- Seats: 139
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217C (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-217C (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Trans World Airlines, LLC
The flight
- Departed from: STL Saint Louis MO at 10:27 pm
- Destination: SJC San Jose CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19, 12,400 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft; clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.02 inHg
- Observation at 10:55 pm from SZL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 132 |
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.