Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 incident near Newark, New Jersey, November 25, 2000
On November 25, 2000 at about 1:13 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11, registered N582FE, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey. 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
a short in the left inboard elevator parallel engage solenoid valve for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 2000 · about 1:13 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 · all MD-11s on the register
- Registration
- N582FE · registry record · serial 48420
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While climbing through 26,000 feet, the airplane began to pitch up and down at a fast rate. The captain took control of the airplane and leveled off. The airplane continued to pitch up and down, the autopilot was engaged, and the airplane stabilized. The airplane was slowed to 230 knots and the autopilot was turned off. The pitch oscillations began again. The crew declared an emergency and returned to Newark International Airport, Newark, New Jersey, and landed without incident. The left inboard elevator parallel engage solenoid shut off valve was replaced and no further discrepancies were noted with the system. Examination of the faulty valve revealed that a short was found when tested between coil 1 and coil 2. Disassembly of the unit revealed that hydraulic fluid was found underneath the case assembly and around the coil assembly. The examination also revealed that the orange colored lead to coil 1, and the brown colored lead to coil 2 had fused together through the insulation and caused the electrical short. It could not be determined as to how the hydraulic fluid entered the valve, or if the fluid contributed to the electrical short. At the time of this report, Boeing was in the process of establishing a components team to research the possibility of fluid contamination in these valves.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,490 hours in all; 3,136 in this make and model; 77 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWR NJ
- Destination: OAK Oakland CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 22,000 ft; scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:51 pm from EWR
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.
Other NTSB records under N582FE 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.