Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83 incident near Seattle, Washington, April 18, 1994
On April 18, 1994 at about 1:55 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83, registered N931AS, suffered minor damage in an incident near Seattle, Washington (Seattle-Tacoma Int. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 139 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FATIGUE FRACTURE OF A MAIN GEAR WHEEL HUB.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 18, 1994 · about 1:55 am local time
- Place
- Seattle, Washington · Seattle-Tacoma Int. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 139 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83
- Registration
- N931AS · registry record · serial 49232
- 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 THE LANDING/TAXI SEQUENCE, THE LEFT MAIN GEAR WHEEL HUB EXPERIENCED A FATIGUE FRACTURE. THE CRACKS WHICH LED TO THE FRACTURE ORIGINATED IN THE HUB GREASE DAM GROOVE. THE FRACTURING OF THE HUB DAMAGED OTHER BRAKE COMPENENTS, WHICH ALLOWED HYDRAULIC FLUID TO LEAK ONTO A HOT BRAKE PAD, WHERE IT WAS IGNITED.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,899 hours in all; 3,764 in this make and model; 141 in the last 90 days; 52 in the last 30 days; 3,692 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25,773 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 13, 1994; 41 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 147
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SFO San Francisco CA at 11:55 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 34R, 11,900 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 17,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 133 |
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 N931AS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number SEA94IA103.