Douglas DC 9 83 incident near Dayton, Ohio, March 19, 2017
On March 19, 2017 at about 4:11 pm local time, a 1988 Douglas DC 9 83, registered N881GA, was involved in an incident during approach near Dayton, Ohio (James M Cox Dayton Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 163 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The probable cause of the No. 2 (right) engine fire was an uncontained generator failure. Deformed rotating generator components and/or metal fragments radially released by the generator severed the constant speed drive-to-oil cooler return line located adjacent to the generator and caused oil to spray onto hot generator and engine case surfaces that subsequently ignited.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 19, 2017 · about 4:11 pm local time
- Place
- Dayton, Ohio · James M Cox Dayton Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 163 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC 9 83 83, built 1988 · all DC 9 83s on the register
- Registration
- N881GA · no longer on the register · serial 49708
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The No. 2 engine fire was caused by the uncontained failure of the generator main rotor. Deformed generator rotating components and/or metal fragments radially released by the generator severed the constant speed drive (CSD)-to-oil cooler return line located adjacent to the generator. The severed line sprayed oil onto hot generator and engine case surfaces that subsequently ignited. The sections of the generator main rotor that remained intact and the metal fragments recovered from the generator case exhibited extensive thermal and impact damage that precluded material analysis. The operating history of the failed generator was not available and federal regulations do not require operators to maintain hour and cycle counts for non-life limited components. An estimate of generator operating hours was provided by Allegiant Air and the date of manufacture was provided by UTC Aerospace Systems. Based on the available records the generator main rotor was never overhauled or re-wound and the total operating hours likely exceeded the 40,000 hour recommended overhaul interval specified in UTC Aerospace Systems service information letter (SIL) 449.
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
What happened, in order
- Engine shutdown during approach
- Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail during approach defining event
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during approach
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (turbine/turboprop) › Accessory drives › Failure
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Allegiant Air
The flight
- Departed from: SFB Orlando FL
- Destination: DAY Dayton OH
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 3:00 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 157 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on March 29, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Powerplant Group Chairman's Factual Report | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.