Douglas DC-8 accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, February 8, 2006
On February 8, 2006 at about 4:59 am local time, a Douglas DC-8, registered N748UP, was destroyed in an accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 3 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an in-flight cargo fire that initiated from an unknown source, which was most likely located within cargo container 12, 13, or 14. Contributing to the loss of the aircraft were the inadequate certification test requirements for smoke and fire detection systems and the lack of an on-board fire suppression system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 2006 · about 4:59 am local time
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Philadelphia Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8 · all DC-8s on the register
- Registration
- N748UP · no longer on the register · serial 45948
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/2007/AAR0707.pdf. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-07/07. On February 7, 2006, about 2359 eastern standard time, United Parcel Service Company flight 1307, a McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71F, N748UP, landed at its destination airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, after a cargo smoke indication in the cockpit. The captain, first officer, and flight engineer evacuated the airplane after landing. The flight crewmembers sustained minor injuries, and the airplane and most of the cargo were destroyed by fire after landing. The scheduled cargo flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 on an instrument flight rules flight plan. Night visual conditions prevailed at the time of the accident.
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
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 25,000 hours in all; 16,000 in this make and model; 41 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 16,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 1, 2005
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 63 in the last 90 days; 43 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 67,676 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 1, 2006; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 328,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm International CFM56-2C1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
- Operator: United Parcel Service CO
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 3:41 am
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 300° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 3:54 am from kphl
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 N748UP 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.