Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 incident near Dulles, Virginia, November 29, 2000
On November 29, 2000 at about 10:53 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, registered N3507A, suffered minor damage in an incident near Dulles, Virginia (Dulles International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 66 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the operator's inadequate maintenance procedure to disconnect the Omega navigational system, which resulted in coaxial cables being cut and not properly protected. A factor in the incident was the lightning strike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 2000 · about 10:53 pm local time
- Place
- Dulles, Virginia · Dulles International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 66 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 · all DC-9-82s on the register
- Registration
- N3507A · no longer on the register · serial 49801
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During initial climb-out, the airplane was struck by lightning. Shortly thereafter, dark smoke entered the forward area of the passenger cabin. The crew declared an emergency and the flight attendants, with a passenger's assistance, cut a hole in the overhead panel, and discharged the contents of two hand held fire extinguishers. The airplane landed uneventfully and an emergency evacuation was conducted without incident. Examination of the airplane revealed that a deactivated navigational antenna located in the tail cone had been struck by lightning. Attached to the antenna were two coaxial cables, which were tie-wrapped together, fed into the cabin, and attached along the upper left hand side of the fuselage between the insulation blankets and overhead panels. The cable ends were observed to be mechanically cut and had been fastened above row 7AB, in the area of the most fire damage. The insulation to the right of the cable ends was cratered and burrowed. The cable ends were not protected or grounded. The cables had been cut and partially removed in accordance with an engineering change order (ECO) developed by the operator, so a more advanced system could be installed. According to the procedure, the cable ends were to be covered with heat shrink tubing or other suitable material. Fifty-seven of the operator's 259 MD-80 airplanes had undergone the partial removal of the cables, and 21 airplanes still had the full Omega antenna system installed. As a result of this incident, the operator implemented a revised engineering change order (ECO) that stated, 'the cable which runs down the vertical stabilizer is cut and grounded to structure in the aft accessory compartment. A portion of the cable, which runs through the aft pressure bulkhead, is removed and the feed through is sealed. The intent of this action is to protect the cable from lightning damage.' As of January 11, 2001, the revised ECO had been implemented on all 78 airplanes.
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
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 5,528 in this make and model; 8,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 161,000 lb
- Seats: 172
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DCA Washington Dc VA at 10:49 pm
- Destination: DFW Dallas/Ft Worth TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19R, 11,501 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from DCA, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 61 |
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 N3507A 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.