19960714024279I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Doug DC981 · Pittsburgh, PA · July 14, 1996

Date
July 14, 1996 · 21:15 local
Place
Pittsburgh, PA
Airport
Greater Pittsburgh International
Phase of flight
Normal Cruise
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
USAA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N809US
Reported as
Doug DC981
Reported engine
Pratt & Whitney JT8D217
People aboard
146
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
14,423 total32 in this make and model108 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: inbound to pit at 5000 ft., crew heard a loud thump noise from right fuselage area. No other abnormal indications noticed until 1000 feet. After setting power for final approach, the right engine would not respond to power input. By this time the aircraft was passing thru 500 feet and subsequently landed. After taxi and clearing the runway, crew noticed EGT rising, and shut down right engine while taxiing to gate. An hour later, the operations control center was notified that someone in bethel park had found turbine blades and were returning same, thru bethel park police department. Submission of this report closes this incident. The failure of the 4th stage low pressure turbine blade is under investigation.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: INBOUND TO PIT AT 5000 FT., CREW HEARD A LOUD THUMP NOISE FROM RIGHT FUSELAGE AREA. NO OTHER ABNORMAL INDICATIONS NOTICED UNTIL 1000 FEET. AFTER SETTING POWER FOR FINAL APPROACH, THE RIGHT ENGINE WOULD NOT RESPOND TO POWER INPUT. BY THIS TIME THE AIRCRAFT WAS PASSING THRU 500 FEET AND SUBSEQUENTLY LANDED. AFTER TAXI AND CLEARING THE RUNWAY, CREW NOTICED EGT RISING, AND SHUT DOWN RIGHT ENGINE WHILE TAXIING TO GATE. AN HOUR LATER, THE OPERATIONS CONTROL CENTER WAS NOTIFIED THAT SOMEONE IN BETHEL PARK HAD FOUND TURBINE BLADES AND WERE RETURNING SAME, THRU BETHEL PARK POLICE DEPARTMENT. SUBMISSION OF THIS REPORT CLOSES THIS INCIDENT. THE FAILURE OF THE 4TH STAGE LOW PRESSURE TURBINE BLADE IS UNDER INVESTIGATION.