Mcdonnell Douglas MD-80 incident near San Francisco, California, December 20, 1997
On December 20, 1997 at about 2:15 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-80, registered N932AS, was involved in an incident near San Francisco, California (San Francisco airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 75 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An emergency evacuation due to fumes from a failed hydraulic line that entered into the cabin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 20, 1997 · about 2:15 am local time
- Place
- San Francisco, California · San Francisco · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 75 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-80
- Registration
- N932AS · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain ordered an emergency evacuation after noxious fumes and mist entered the aircraft during the taxi to the gate after landing. Examination of the aircraft found the source of the vapors as a failed hydraulic return line from the left-hand engine thrust reverser. Leaking fluid from the line was ingested into the aircraft's APU which had been started in accordance with normal procedures.
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: 7,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PSP Palm Springs CA
- Destination: SFO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 am from SFO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 68 |
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.