Boeing 747-151 incident near Detroit, Michigan, January 10, 1990
On January 10, 1990 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Boeing 747-151, registered N602US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Detroit, Michigan. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A FIRE IN THE AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS(S).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 10, 1990 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Detroit, Michigan
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-151 · all 747-151s on the register
- Registration
- N602US · no longer on the register · serial 19779
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRLINE GROUND PERSONNEL FOUND HEAT/FIRE DAMAGE IN THE AFT CARGO BAY IN THE VICINITY OF THE MID-SHIP DRAIN MAST. IT COULD NOT BE DETERMINED WHEN THE DAMAGE OCCURRED; THERE WAS NO RECORD OF A CREW REPORT OF FIRE/SMOKE DETECTION/WARNING. A FUNCTIONAL CHECK OF THE SYSTEMS INDICATED THAT THEY WERE CAPABLE OF NORMAL OPERATION. THERE WERE NO POPPED CIRCUIT BREAKERS. THE DRAIN MAST AND ASSOCIATED GROUND/AIR RELAY SWITCH WERE TESTED AT THE MANUFACTURER'S FACILITY, AND THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FAILURE OF THOSE COMPONENTS. PREVIOUS SIMILAR OCCURRENCES HAVE BEEN ATTRIBUTED TO INADEQUATE HOUSEKEEPING. THE AREA AROUND THE DRAIN MAST IS A LOW POINT IN THE FUSELAGE, AND A NATURAL PLACE FOR TRASH/LITTER TO COLLECT. INJURY INDEX PRESUMED.
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: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 710,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-3A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Not recorded
- Operator: Northwest Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.