Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82 incident near Seattle, Washington, April 2, 2000
On April 2, 2000 at about 4:00 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82, registered N934AS, was involved in an incident near Seattle, Washington (Seattle-Tacoma Intnl airport). 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
Contaminated air being ducted into the aircraft's cabin from the engine exhaust of a nearby ground power cart.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 2000 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Seattle-Tacoma Intnl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82
- Registration
- N934AS · no longer on the register · serial 49235
- 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 MD-82 aircraft was parked at gate C-9 at night with the jetway still attached, and most of the passengers had boarded. The aircraft's APU was inoperative and electrical power was being supplied by an external ground power unit. Additionally, cabin air conditioning was being provided by an external ground source through the aircraft's right engine air conditioning system. Electrical ground power then failed resulting in the aircraft's cabin lights going out and the emergency floor track lights automatically illuminating. Smoke/fumes from the electrical ground power cart exhaust were pulled into the aircraft's cabin through the external ground source. Passengers and crew noted the smoke and then evacuated the aircraft via the forward, left cabin door (L-1) through the jetway and into the terminal without injury.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,090 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 140,000 lb
- Seats: 146
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Alaska Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SEA
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 am from SEA
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.
Other NTSB records under N934AS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.