Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 incident near Tampa, Florida, October 19, 1985
On October 19, 1985 at about 4:35 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51, registered N412EA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Tampa, Florida (Tampa Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 122 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 19, 1985 · about 4:35 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · Tampa Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 122 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
- N412EA · registry record · serial 47733
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE FLT CREW HEARD A LOUD NOISE (SIMILAR, BUT LOUDER THAN A TIRE BLOW-OUT) AS THE #1 ENG FAILED.THEY SECURED THE #1 ENG, REMAINED IN THE TRAFFIC PATTERN & LANDED ON THE SAME RWY. AFTER LANDING, AN EXAM REVEALED THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OUTER CASE, PN 616315, HAD FAILED FROM LOW CYCLE FATIGUE. THE FATIGUE HAD PROPAGATED FROM A BOLT HOLEON THE REAR FLANGE & PROGRESSED FORWARD UNTIL IT REACHED A CRITICAL LENGTH, THEN THE REMAINING FRACTURE WAS FROM TENSILE OVERLOAD. NICKEL-CADMIUM PLATING WAS FOUND IN THE FATIGUE CRACKED AREA. THE CASE WAS LAST REPLATED AFTER IT WAS MODIFIED, APRX 5152 FLT HRS PRIOR TO THE ACDNT. PRATT & WHITNEY ENGINE REPAIR MANUAL 72-42-11 PROHIBITS THE NICKEL-CADMIUM PLATING OF THE FRONT & REAR CASE FLANGE BOLT HOLES.
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: 10,571 hours in all; 8,295 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 139
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eastern Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: TPA
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36R, 8,300 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:20 pm from TPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 117 |
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.