Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) accident near Dfw Airport, Texas, April 16, 2003
On April 16, 2003 at about 4:58 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82), registered N452AA, was involved in an accident near Dfw Airport, Texas (Dallas-Ft.Worth International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 54 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent trauma to the passenger's ankle during an emergency evacuation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 16, 2003 · about 4:58 pm local time
- Place
- Dfw Airport, Texas · Dallas-Ft.Worth International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 54 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) · all DC-9-82 (MD-82)s on the register
- Registration
- N452AA · no longer on the register · serial 49553
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While taxiing after landing, the flight crew started the airplane's auxiliary power unit (APU). Shortly thereafter, the cabin began to fill with smoke. The captain ordered an emergency evacuation. All slides functioned normally; however, during the egress a passenger sustained a broken right ankle. Examination of the airplane revealed the smoke was caused when the APU ingested hydraulic fluid that leaked from the pump after APU start-up.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,934 in this make and model
- Last flight review: March 27, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,677 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 9, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 45,607 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 15, 2003; 3 hours since
- Seats: 133
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN at 3:14 pm
- Destination: DFW Dfw Airport TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17L, 8,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 17 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.76 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from DFW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 49 |
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 N452AA 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.