Douglas DC-8-71F accident near Rancho Cordova, California, February 17, 2000
On February 17, 2000 at about 3:51 am local time, a Douglas DC-8-71F, registered N8079U, was destroyed in an accident near Rancho Cordova, California (Sacramento Mather Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 3 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of pitch control resulting from the disconnection of the right elevator control tab. The disconnection was caused by the failure to properly secure and inspect the attachment bolt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 2000 · about 3:51 am local time
- Place
- Rancho Cordova, California · Sacramento Mather Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8-71F · all DC-8-71Fs on the register
- Registration
- N8079U · no longer on the register · serial 45947
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. On February 16, 2000, about 1951 Pacific standard time, Emery Worldwide Airlines, Inc., (Emery) flight 17, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71F (DC-8), N8079U, crashed in an automobile salvage yard shortly after takeoff, while attempting to return to Sacramento Mather Airport (MHR), Rancho Cordova, California, for an emergency landing. Emery flight 17 was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 as a cargo flight from MHR to James M. Cox Dayton International Airport (DAY), Dayton, Ohio. The flight departed MHR about 1949, with two pilots and a flight engineer on board. The three flight crewmembers were killed, and the airplane was destroyed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine
- Flight time: 13,329 hours in all; 2,128 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 84,447 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 16, 2000; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 328,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm International CFM56-2-C1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: DAY Dayton OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22L, 11,301 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from MHR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N8079U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.