Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83 incident near Las Vegas, Nevada, June 18, 1997
On June 18, 1997, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83, registered N875RA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the maintenance/overhaul facility's improper repair, which led to obstructed oil supply hole(s) at the #5 bearing inner race, then oil starvation and subsequent uncontained engine failure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 18, 1997
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83
- Registration
- N875RA · no longer on the register · serial 53182
- 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 aircraft experienced an uncontained left engine failure during the initial climb after takeoff. The flight returned to the airport, and an uneventful landing was made. The engine was removed and returned to the repair facility that performed major repairs just 76.9 flight hours prior. During the teardown examination, the No. 5 bearing inner race retaining nut oil supply holes were found plugged. According to the Pratt and Whitney Standard Practices Manual, the procedure for the plating of silver over steel specified that the No. 5 bearing race should have been grit blasted to remove old plating per Service Process Operations Procedure (SPOP) 10, which specified use of PMC 3052-9 aluminum oxide grit. The SPOP consumable materials list identified PMC 3052-9 as 500 aluminum oxide grit. The actual processing of the nut included grit blasting with 120 grit aluminum oxide, contrary to P&W recommendation to use 200 to 500 aluminum grit oxide media or glass beads. The nut was to be cleaned and flushed after the blasting.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,417 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 17, 1997; 76 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 137,500 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-219 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KLAS NV
- Destination: KCOS Colorado Spring CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from LAS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 140 |
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.