Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-73F incident near Seattle, Washington, June 30, 1988
On June 30, 1988 at about 2:02 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-73F, registered N791FT, suffered minor damage in an incident near Seattle, Washington (Seattle Tacoma airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 4 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
- June 30, 1988 · about 2:02 pm local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Seattle Tacoma · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-73F
- Registration
- N791FT · no longer on the register · serial 46845
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
CREW NOTED INFLIGHT INDICATIONS OF LOSS OF HYDRAULIC FLUID, THEN CARRIED OUT STANDARD PROCEDURES PER CREW MANUAL. EMERG HYD SYS USED TO LOWER FLAPS FOR LNDG. ACFT LANDED WITH FOUR RIGHT BRAKES LOCKED. THE TIRES BLEW AND THE WHEELS WERE GROUND FLAT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED A RUPTURED #3 HYDRAULIC PUMP PRESSURE LINE AND AN IMPROPERLY RIGGED EMERGENCY HYDRAULIC PUMP CONTROL ARM.
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 instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,253 hours in all; 6,833 in this make and model; 197 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 54,083 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 2,852 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 240,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM-56-2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Emery Air Freight
The flight
- Departed from: HDY Dayton OH at 7:41 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 16L, 11,900 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 pm from SEA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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.