Douglas DC-8-62F accident near Denver, Colorado, April 28, 2000
On April 28, 2000 at about 3:30 am local time, a Douglas DC-8-62F, registered N990CF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Denver, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the clamp that secured the high-pressure bleed air duct to the high-pressure relief valve. Factors were the resulting excessive pressurization of the engine nacelle, and the subsequent separation of the engine cowling.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 2000 · about 3:30 am local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8-62F · all DC-8-62Fs on the register
- Registration
- N990CF · no longer on the register · serial 46068
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in cruise flight at 37,000 feet msl. The captain said that they heard a loud bang and the airplane shook, and they immediately began to lose cabin pressurization. The engine instruments went dead on number two engine, and they pulled the number two emergency 'T' handle. He said that they donned their oxygen masks, began descending, and diverted to Denver. Postlanding examination of the number two-engine nacelle revealed that the inboard and outboard main engine cowlings had separated from the aircraft. An 18x6 inch hole was found half way up the fuselage (pressure bulkhead), just aft of the left wing; the left horizontal stabilator was also damaged. Further examination of the engine revealed that the 4 inch-diameter high-pressure bleed air duct had separated from the high-pressure relief valve, and the clamp that connected them was missing. The clamp was never located. According to the operator, failure of the clamp would dump high-pressure bleed air into the nacelle, resulting in over-pressurization and separation of the cowlings. The wire bundle, which transmitted the number two-engine monitoring data to the cockpit was found cut. There was no evidence of engine fire or fire in the nacelle cavity.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 5,100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 51,844 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 13, 2000; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 350,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Emery Worldwide Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 1:33 am
- Destination: DAY Dayton OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from MLS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 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.