Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11-F incident near Anchorage, Alaska, September 29, 1994
On September 29, 1994, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11-F, registered N603FE, suffered minor damage in an incident near Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
RIGHT INBOARD FLAP VANE COMPONENT SEPARATION DUE TO UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 1994
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Anchorage International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11-F · all MD-11-Fs on the register
- Registration
- N603FE · registry record · serial 48459
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE RIGHT HAND INBOARD FLAP VANE DEPARTED THE AIRFRAME WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS 500 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND ON FINAL APPROACH TO THE RUNWAY. THE VANE TO TRACK SUPPORT, AFT ADJUSTMENT ECCENTRIC, AND THE SPRING CARTRIDGE STOP ASSEMBLY SEPARATED DUE TO TENSILE OVERLOAD; HOWEVER, THE TENSILE PROPERTIES DID NOT APPEAR TO INFLUENCE THE FAILURE OF THE VANE. THE SUPPORT TRACK, THE ROLLER SUPPORT BOLT, AND THE FLAP SUPPORT BUSHING SEPARATED DUE TO SHEAR OVERLOAD. TESTING FAILED TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE FOR THE FAILURE.
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, foreign licence, student
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: helicopter; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: airship
- Flight time: 7,351 hours in all; 503 in this make and model; 142 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 3,425 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,642 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 625,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF-6-80C2D1F (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 7:22 pm
- Destination: ANC AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 6R, 10,897 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 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.