Boeing 727-251 incident near St. Paul, Minnesota, January 21, 1991
On January 21, 1991 at about 2:45 am local time, a Boeing 727-251, registered N295US, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Paul, Minnesota (Mineapolis St. Paul airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 44 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PARTIAL FAILURE OF THE AIRPLANE'S AUXILIARY POWER UNIT, AND THE INADEQUATE COMPONENT PRODUCED BY THE MANUFACTURER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 21, 1991 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- St. Paul, Minnesota · Mineapolis St. Paul · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 44 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-251 · all 727-251s on the register
- Registration
- N295US · no longer on the register · serial 21506
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT CREW WAS INFORMED BY THE TOWER OF A FIRE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE WHILE TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF. THE FIRE PRECEEDED BY UTILIZING THE AUXILARY POWER UNIT (APU) FOR A MAIN ENGINE START. THE MAIN ENGINE START WAS ABORTED WHEN THE APU FAILED TO DELIVER SUFFICIENT BLEED AIR PRESSURE. A POST INCIDENT INSPECTION OF THE APU DISCLOSED A LIBERATED TURBINE EXDUCER BLADE WHICH CAUSED AN IMBALANCE OF THE TURBINE WHEEL, ALLOWING SMOPKE AND FLAMES TO ESCAPE FROM THE APU EXHAUST ATOP THE RIGHT WING ROOT. THERE HAS BEEN 7 SERVICE DIFFICULTY REPORTS AND 4 ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS ASSOCIATED WITH EXDUCER FAILURES IN THIS MODEL APU IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
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
- Flight time: 750 hours in all; 750 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 172,000 lb
- Seats: 153
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Northwest Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 340° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 9°F (-13°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:50 am from MSP, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 38 |
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.