Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82 incident near Tucson, Arizona, April 28, 1997
On April 28, 1997 at about 7:22 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82, registered N470AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Tucson, Arizona (Tucson International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 123 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an undetermined failure in the #1 (left) engine turbine assembly, which resulted in a fracture of the first stage nozzle guide vane (NGV) and subsequent damage to the turbine blades.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1997 · about 7:22 pm local time
- Place
- Tucson, Arizona · Tucson International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 123 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82
- Registration
- N470AA · registry record · serial 49600
- 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 takeoff/initial climb, the aircraft sustained a contained failure of the left engine turbine section, as well as a tail pipe fire. The flightcrew returned to the airport, made a successful landing, and stopped on the runway, where an evacuation was initiated. The flight deck crew gave the evacuation command and instructed the flight attendants to 'use the right side exits only.' A short time later, Flight 230 asked the tower 'how do I correspond with the folks in the trucks and make sure what's going on with the left engine . . .' The controller replied, 'you go to one two four point four that's the ground control frequency and airport forty six is in charge of the fire rescue.' Review of the transcripts revealed that the crew experienced difficulty in establishing radio contact with the airport CFR vehicles. Postincident engine teardown revealed considerable damage of the stage 1 to stage 4 turbine blades. The 1st stage NGV was found with the outer buttress aft flow guide (angel wing) completely missing. The 1T blade damage was consistent with damage caused by liberated angel wing hardware; however, determination of the initial fracture mode was not possible.
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: 13,000 hours in all; 4,495 in this make and model; 252 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25,599 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 17, 1997; 370 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 148
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TUS at 7:20 pm
- Destination: DFW Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29, 10,994 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 10 knots, gusting 15
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:56 pm from TUS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 118 |
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.