# Incident 19940117002239I: Doug MD88, Nashville, TN, January 17, 1994

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 17, 1994, 09:48 local time
- Place: Nashville, TN
- Airport: Nashville International Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: DALA
- Location: 36.1245° N, 86.6782° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at NASHVILLE INTL (BNA), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=36.1245&lon=-86.6782&mi=10
- Aircraft: N978DL (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: DOUG MD88
- People aboard: 47
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 9,800 total, 700 in this make and model, 136 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19940117002239I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

NARRATIVE: ON JANUARY 17, 1994, DELTA AIRLINES FLIGHT 1439 (DALA 1439), AN MD-88, N978DL, DEPARTED NASHVILLE, TN. AT APPROXIMATELY 0950 CST DALA 1439 REQUESTED TO "COME BACK AND LAND", STATING THAT HE "...DID NOT NEED ANY ASSISTANCE". HE TAXIED TO HIS GATE WHERE HE WAS MET BY TWO AMERICAN AIRLINES MECHANICS, DELTA'S MAINTENANCE CONTRACTORS AT NASHVILLE. THESE MECHANICS OBSERVED HEAVY DAMAGE TO THE FAN SECTION OF BOTH #1 AND #2 ENGINES AS WELL AS OBSERVING THAT THERE WAS VISIBLE ICE ADHEREING TO THE RIGHT WING ROOT AREA NEAR THE WING TRAILING EDGE. THEY TOOK (8) EIGHT PICTURES OF THE ENGINES AND OF THE WINGS. WHEN THIS OFFICE WAS NOTIFIED OF THE INCIDENT ON JANUARY 18, 1994, AN ON SITE INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT SHOWED AN AREA OF ICE AT THIS SAME LOCATION. INSPECTION OF THE WING FORWARD OF THE INBOARD SPOILER, AND OUTBOARD OF THE WING ESCAPE WALKWAY. THIS LATTER AREA WAS VISIBLE ONLY WHEN VIEWED WITH AN ADVANTAGEOUS ANGLE OF SUNLIGHT TO HIGHLIGHT IT. BOTH ENGINES HAD MULTIPLE BENT AND TORN FAN BLADES IN ALL QUADRANTS AS WELL AS DAMAGE TO THE SHROUD AREA JUST OUTBOARD OF THE FAN BLADES. ICING CONDITIONS EXISTED AT DEPARTURE TIME AND THE AIRCRAFT WAS AN OVERNIGHT AT NASHVIL LE. DE-ICING BEGAN AT 0905 USING A 50/50 GLYCOL MIX. A PRE-DEPARTURE CONTAMINATION CHECK WAS PERFORMED BY THE FLIGHT CREW. THE SIGNIFICANT AREA OF ICE PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED WAS NOT VISIBLE FROM THE CABIN WHEN THIS CHECK WAS PERFORMED. INSPECTION OF THE DE-ICING EQUIPMENT DID NOT REVEAL ANY DISCREPANCIES.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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