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| Date: | Wednesday 9 August 1989 |
| Time: | 19:18 LT |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas DC-10-40 |
| Owner/operator: | Northwest Airlines |
| Registration: | N133JC |
| MSN: | 46752/53 |
| Engine model: | P&W JT9D-20J |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 254 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | Denver, CO -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX) |
| Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, MN (MSP/KMSP) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 38,000 FEET, THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED AN UNCONTAINED FAN BLADE SEPARATION IN THE NO. 2 ENGINE. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ONE OF THE FIRST-STAGE COMPRESSOR FAN BLADES (S/N EB2506) HAD SEPARATED ABOUT 8 INCHES ABOVE THE BLADE PLATFORM. FRAGMENTS FROM THE BLADE (#8) HAD EXITED THROUGH THE LEFT FAN COWL IN THREE PLACES AND HAD PENETRATED THE VERTICAL STABILIZER. THE BLADE SEPARATION STEMMED FROM A 0.34-INCH LONG FATIGUE CRACK THAT BEGAN IN A WELD ADJACENT TO A PATCH. THE FAN BLADE HAD BEEN PATCH-REPAIRED EARLIER, AND SUBJECTED TO FOUR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTS: X-RAY, FLUORESCENT PENETRANT, ULTRASONIC, AND EDDY CURRENT.
Probable Cause: FATIGUE FAILURE AND SEPARATION OF A FIRST-STAGE COMPRESSOR FAN BLADE.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB DCA89IA066
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 31 January 1981 | N143US | Northwest Airlines | 0 | near Washington-Dulles International Airport, DC (IAD/KIAD) | |
min |
| Engine failure | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 23-Mar-2024 16:11 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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