ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 N60NA Socorro, NM

Home » Database » 1973

Status:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured
Date:	Saturday 3 November 1973
Time:	16:40
Type:	McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10
Operator:	National Airlines
Registration:	N60NA
MSN:	46700/14
First flight:	1971
Total airframe hrs:	5954
Engines:	3 General Electric CF6-6D
Crew:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 12
Passengers:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 116
Total:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 128
Aircraft damage:	Substantial
Aircraft fate:	Repaired
Location:	near Socorro, NM ( United States of America)
Phase:	En route (ENR)
Nature:	Domestic Scheduled Passenger
Departure airport:	Houston-Intercontinental Airport, TX (IAH/KIAH), United States of America
Destination airport:	Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV (LAS/KLAS), United States of America
Flightnumber:	27

Narrative:
National Airlines Flight 27 departed Houston for Las Vegas and climbed to FL390. Suddenly the No. 3 engine fan assembly disintegrated and fragments penetrated the fuselage the Nos. 1 and 2 engine nacelles, and the right wing area. As a result, the cabin depressurized and one cabin window, which was struck by a fragment of the fan assembly, separated from the fuselage. The passenger who was sitting next to that window was forced through the opening and ejected from the aircraft. The flightcrew initiated an emergency descent, and the aircraft landed safely at Albuquerque International Airport 19 minutes after the engine failed.

Probable Cause:

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The disintegration of the No. 3 engine fan assembly as a result of an interaction between the fan blade tips and the fan case. The fan-tip rub condition was caused by the acceleration of the engine to an abnormally high fan speed which initiated a multiwave, vibratory resonance within the fan section of the engine. The precise reason or reasons for the acceleration and the onset of the destructive vibration could not be determined conclusively."

Accident investigation:

Investigating agency:	NTSB
Status:	Investigation completed
Duration:	1 year and 2 months
Accident number:	NTSB-AAR-75-2
Download report:	Final report

Classification:

Uncontained engine failure
Forced landing on runway

Sources:

» NTSB-AAR-75-2

Follow-up / safety actions

NTSB issued 9 Safety Recommendations

Issued: 28-DEC-1973	To:	A-73-116
REQUIRE, WITHIN THE NEXT 100 FLIGHT HOURS, A READOUT OF DATA RECORDED IN FLIGHT ON THE DIGITAL FLIGHT DATA RECORDERS, AS REQUIRED UNDER 14 CFR 121.343(A)(2), AND TAKE ACTION TO INSURE THAT THE PARAMETERS REQUIRED ARE BEING RECORDED WITHIN THE RANGES, ACCURACIES, AND RECORDING INTERVALS SPECIFIED IN APPENDIX B THEREOF. (Closed - Acceptable Alternate Action)
Issued: 28-DEC-1973	To:	A-73-117
REQUIRE REPETITIVE READOUT INSPECTIONS, AS SPECIFIED ABOVE, AT 500- HOUR INTERVALS, UNTIL THE RELIABILITY OF THESE RECORDER SYSTEMS IMPROVES. (Closed - Acceptable Alternate Action)
Issued: 28-DEC-1973	To:	A-73-118
REQUIRE RETENTION BY THE OPERATORS OF THE DATA RECEIVED IN THE TWO MOST RECENT READOUT INSPECTIONS. (Closed - Unacceptable Action)
Issued: 07-FEB-1974	To:	A-74-10
ISSUE AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE TO REQUIRE AIRCRAFT CERTIFICATED UNDER 14 CFR 25, THAT EACH OCCUPIABLE AREA, WHICH IS SEPARATED FROM OTHERS TO SUCH AN EXTENT THAT SIGNIFICANTLY DIFFERENT DECOMPRESSION RATES CAN OCCUR, IS EQUIPPED WITH AN ANEROID DEVICE TO DETECT PRESSURE LOSSES IN THAT AREA. (Closed - Reconsidered)
Issued: 07-FEB-1974	To:	A-74-11
REQUIRE A MORE ACCESSIBLE LOCATION FOR THE PORTABLE OXYGEN UNITS IN THE LOWER LOBE GALLEY OF ALL DC-10 AIRCRAFT AND RELOCATE PORTABLE OXYGEN UNITS IN ALL OTHER AIRCRAFT, WHERE REQUIRED, TO ENSURE ACCESSIBILITY OF PORTABLE OXYGEN UNITS AND COMPLIANCE WITH THE FAR\'S (Closed - Acceptable Action)
Issued: 07-FEB-1974	To:	A-74-7
REQUIRE ALL OPERATORS OF AIRCRAFT WHICH CONTAIN INDIVIDUAL CHEMICAL OXYGEN-GENERATING UNITS TO INSPECT THESE INSTALLATIONS TO ENSURE THAT CANISTERS ARE CORRECTLY INSTALLED IN THE MOUNTS AND THAT APPROVED PACKING PROCEDURES HAVE BEEN FOLLOWED FOR THE SUPPLY HOSES AND OXYGEN MASKS. (Closed - Acceptable Action)
Issued: 07-FEB-1974	To:	A-74-8
ISSUE AN AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE TO REQUIRE CHANGES IN THE METHOD OF MOUNTING THESE OXYGEN-GENERATING UNITS TO ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITY OF IMPROPER INSTALLATION AND INSERVICE FAILURES. (Closed - Acceptable Action)
Issued: 07-FEB-1974	To:	A-74-9
ISSUE A MAINTENANCE BULLETIN TO VERIFY OPERATOR COMPLIANCE WITH THE PROVISION OF 14 CFR 25.1447 REGARDING THE IMMEDIATE AVAILABILITY OF PORTABLE OXYGEN UNITS AND THE NECESSITY OF HAVING SUPPLY HOSES AND MASKS ATTACHED TO THESE UNITS. (Closed - Acceptable Action)
Issued: 26-FEB-1974	To:	A-74-18
ISSUE AN OPERATIONS ALERT BULLETIN TO ASCERTAIN COMPLIANCE WITH 14 CFR 25.1585(A)(4), RELATIVE TO A PROCEDURE FOR THE ASSESSMENT OF AIRCRAFT DAMAGE THAT RESULTS FROM IN-FLIGHT EMERGENCIES. (Closed - Acceptable Action)

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Photos

accident date: 03-11-1973
type: McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10
registration: N60NA

Map

This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Houston-Intercontinental Airport, TX to Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV as the crow flies is 1950 km (1219 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.

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