Lockheed L-1011-385-1 incident near Honolulu, Hawaii, December 30, 2000
On December 30, 2000 at about 7:15 am local time, a Lockheed L-1011-385-1, registered N735D, suffered minor damage in an incident near Honolulu, Hawaii. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 300 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 electrical wire arcing and burning as result of insulation degradation, which more than likely resulted from improper clamping.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2000 · about 7:15 am local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 300 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011-385-1 L-1011
- Registration
- N735D · registry record · serial 193C-1226
- 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 air transport aircraft was cruising 2 hours after departure at 32,000 feet in clouds when it experienced an electrical discharge near the co-pilot's over window panel. Just prior to the discharge event, the flight crew observed a phenomenon known as St. Elmo's Fire, during which time loud popping noises were heard in the radios. After the discharge, sparks, smoke, and a strong acrid smell of electrical burning were noted from near the co-pilot's over window panel. The smoke and fume checklist was performed, halon was applied on two separate occasions, and the relative circuit breakers and electrical switches were opened. The flight landed uneventfully 45 minutes later. Post incident examination of the affected wires revealed that electrical arcing and shorting had occurred between the airplane structure, a clamp, and a 30-wire bundle. The affected wire bundle passed behind the flight engineer's station and overhead to the heated windshields. The wire bundle and its clamps were examined and it was noted that the wires were insulated with aromatic polyimide, which is susceptible to arc tracking and insulation flashover. Though the insulation did not display complete insulation breaches, it was noted that the arcing event initiated near a clamp, which was destroyed by the event. The clamp aft of the burned area was of normal size, while the clamp forward of the destroyed one was too small. It is plausible the insulation was either chafed or crimped by the damaged clamp, allowing the arcing event to take place. In turn, the arc tracking and insulation flashover then consumed the surrounding wires.
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: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,000 hours in all; 3,202 in this make and model; 189 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: March 17, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,200 hours in all; 6,871 in this make and model; 165 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Flight Engineer
- Certificate: flight engineer
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 58,217.8 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 3, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 440,000 lb
- Seats: 317
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-22B (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SAN San Fransisco CA at 3:10 am
- Destination: HNL Honolulu HI
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 13 | |||
| Passengers | 287 |
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 N735D 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.