Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 incident near Honolulu, Hawaii, February 9, 1998
On February 9, 1998 at about 7:47 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51, registered N601AP, suffered minor damage in an incident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 144 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the disintegration of the No. 6 bearing in the No. 2 engine which resulted in an aborted takeoff. In addition, the malfunction of the slide in the right forward service door was the result of a faulty seal in the inflation system. The inflation gauge had not been checked that day due to confusion resulting from a change in the operations manual. The change in the language made it unclear as to whose responsibility it was to check the inflation gauge. The operator did not verify that the change was being properly implemented after it had been made effective.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 9, 1998 · about 7:47 pm local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 144 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 · all DC-9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N601AP · registry record · serial 47658
- 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 the crew heard a loud oscillating sound and aborted takeoff. The tower reported fire was visible from their right engine. The aircraft stopped and the crew initiated the engine fire and emergency evacuation check lists. The forward right service door was opened but the slide did not inflate. The airstairs were then deployed and the occupants deplaned. An inspection revealed an engine bearing cage had disintegrated. The evacuation slide was tested and functioned properly; however, its inflation bottle was found to be empty. While required, the bottle had not been checked that day because of a change in the operations manual that had resulted in confusion as to whose responsibility it was to perform the daily pressure checks. The manual states that it is the captain's responsibility to ensure that the bottle is pressurized but it is not an item on the preflight checklist. The flight crew thought maintenance personnel were performing the checks while maintenance personnel thought the crews were checking the bottles. The bottles have a history of sometimes losing pressure over time.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 13,100 hours in all; 200 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 43,210 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 2,275 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 121,000 lb
- Seats: 144
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hawaiian Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HNL at 7:47 pm
- Destination: KOA Kona HI
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 8R, 12,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 pm from HNL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 139 |
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.