Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 incident near Denver, Colorado, October 13, 1992
On October 13, 1992 at about 2:01 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, registered N72822, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 88 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN INADVERTENT ATTEMPT, BY UNKNOWN PERSONS, TO START THE APU WHICH HAD BEEN PLACARDED AS INOPERATIVE. FACTORS WERE: INADEQUATE PROCEDURES IN RENDERING THE APU INCAPABLE OF BEING STARTED WHEN INOPERATIVE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 13, 1992 · about 2:01 am local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 88 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 · all DC-9-82s on the register
- Registration
- N72822 · no longer on the register · serial 49482
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE 'RIGHT REVERSER ACCUMULATOR LOW' CAUTION LIGHT ILLUMINATED. EXAMINATION FOLLOWING LANDING REVEALED THAT THE AUXILIARY POWER UNIT (APU) TURBINE WHEEL HAD SEPARATED IN AN UNCONTAINED FAILURE, AND HAD DAMAGED NUMEROUS COMPONENTS IN THE COMPARTMENT BELOW THE NUMBER TWO ENGINE PYLON. THE APU HAD BEEN PLACARDED AS INOPERATIVE TWO DAYS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THE INVESTIGATION DID NOT REVEAL WHEN AN INADVERTENT ATTEMPT TO START THE APU HAD OCCURRED, BUT DID REVEAL THAT NO PROCEDURES, OTHER THAN THE INOPERATIVE PLACARD, WERE IN PLACE TO PREVENT START ATTEMPTS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,300 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,807 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 1, 1992; 1,681 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 149,000 lb
- Seats: 160
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX at 11:45 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 82 |
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 N72822 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.