Airbus Industrie A300F4-605R incident near Oakland, California, April 10, 2003
On April 10, 2003 at about 8:50 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A300F4-605R, registered N676FE, was involved in an incident near Oakland, California (Metropolitian Oakland Intl airport). It was flown 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
the failure of the 1R evacuation slide to inflate because the transport-locking pin had not been removed from the regulator during the slide's installation on the 1R door. The cause of the cabin/cockpit smoke was contamination of the air conditioning packs.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2003 · about 8:50 pm local time
- Place
- Oakland, California · Metropolitian Oakland Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A300F4-605R · all A300F4-605Rs on the register
- Registration
- N676FE · registry record · serial 790
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During climb out, the fight crew declared an emergency due to smoke in the cockpit and returned to the departure airport for a normal landing, after which the emergency evacuation slides failed to inflate. The flight crew said that they smelled an acrid smoke followed immediately by the illumination of the MAIN DECK CARGO FIRE light and the audio tone (bell). They conducted the emergency procedures, declared an emergency, and turned back for landing. On the downwind leg the MAIN DECK CARGO FIRE light went out; however, on final approach, the MID 2 LOOPS A and B illuminated. After landing the flight crew attempted to evacuate via the 1R emergency slide; however, it did not inflate. The first officer said that he was able to open the door, and that they made several unsuccessful attempts to manually inflate the slide without success. Post incident examination found that the slides' inflation bottle was fully pressurized. Two maintenance personnel noted that the transport-locking pin was with the slide when it was removed from the airplane. The slide was disassembled for inspection at the manufacturer's facility. No discrepancies were found that would have prevented the slide from inflating. Damage was found to the slide's girt bar in the area of the manual inflation handle that was consistent with the transport-locking pin being installed in the inflation bottle's regulator at the time of the slide's deployment. The cause of the smoke was determined to be oil or other fluid contamination of the air-condition packs.
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: 3,346 hours in all; 1,693 in this make and model; 107 in the last 90 days; 36 in the last 30 days; 3,288 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 6, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,680 hours in all; 2,675 in this make and model; 142 in the last 90 days; 41 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 10, 2003; 7,267 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 375,880 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF6-80C2A5F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF6-80C2A5F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Federal Express Corporation
The flight
- Departed from: OAK Oakland CA at 8:30 pm
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; a few clouds at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.05 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from OAK
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.