Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 incident near Dayton, Ohio, November 8, 1996
On November 8, 1996 at about 1:15 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11, registered N814DE, was involved in an incident near Dayton, Ohio. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 209 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Failure of the output drive unit shear pin due to lack of lubrication to the screw actuator assemblies. Contributing to the cause was the aircraft manufacturer's production and inspection personnel failing to lubricate the screw assemblies after initial installation and again after washing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 8, 1996 · about 1:15 am local time
- Place
- Dayton, Ohio · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 209 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 · all MD-11s on the register
- Registration
- N814DE · registry record · serial 48623
- 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 en route the flight crew experienced a failure of the pitch trim control system. The crew was unable to change the pitch trim by the yoke mounted trim switches or the center console mounted horizontal stabilizer control handles. The crew stated that when the slats were extended on descent, they were unable to change stabilizer trim. Subsequent examination of the horizontal stabilizer pitch trim system found that there was no lubrication on the screw actuator assemblies and that the fuse pin had sheared in the output drive unit of the horizontal stabilizer drive gearbox. The sheared fuse pin locked the horizontal stabilizer in its last set position, as designed. A review of Assembly Orders at Douglas Aircraft (DAC) found that DAC production personnel and DAC Inspection personnel stamped the assembly orders indicating completion and acceptance of the lubrication. However, the investigation revealed that no lubrication had been applied to the screw actuator nuts.
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: 27,500 hours in all; 1,442 in this make and model; 268 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 550 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 14, 1996; 550 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 625,500 lb
- Seats: 280
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW 4460 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGW Gatwick at 11:00 am
- Destination: CVG Cincinnati OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 12,600 ft by 300 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 196 |
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.