# Incident 19960924034299I: Doug DC931, Philadelphia, PA, September 24, 1996

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 24, 1996, 19:28 local time
- Place: Philadelphia, PA
- Airport: Philadelphia International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff Ground Roll
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: USAA
- Location: 39.8721° N, 75.2407° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PHILADELPHIA INTL (PHL), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8721&lon=-75.2407&mi=10
- Aircraft: N931VJ, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N931VJ-2003-07-17) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Douglas DC-9-31 (registry code 3022065, https://openairdocs.org/model/douglas-dc-9-31) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-1 (registry code 52044, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-jt8d-1) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DOUG DC931
- People aboard: 61
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 13,366 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960924034299I

## Narrative

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

NARRATIVE: SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM ABE EN ROUTE TO PIT AS FLT 1544, CREW NOTICED AIRCRAFT VIBRATION GOING THROUGH 100 KTS. CREW SUSPECTED BLOWN TIRE. LEFT MAIN GEAR GREEN LIGHT WAS ALSO OBSERVED AS INOPERATIVE. AFTER DISCUSSIONS WITH DISPATCH, CREW ELECTED TO DIVERT TO PHL WHERE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. CRF RESPONDED AS A PRECAUTIONARY. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED DAMAGE CAUSED BY THE SEPARATION OF THE NUMBER TWO TIRE RECAP FROM THE WHEEL ASSEMBLY. RECAP STRUCK TAIL FLAP, TRAILING EDGE PANEL CAUSING 6X6 INCH HOLE PUNCTURE THROUGH BOTH SIDES OF TRAILING EDGE FLAP PANEL ALONG WITH PULLED FASTENERS ALONG THE REAR SPAR OF LOWER CHORD VERTICAL FLANGE. TWO INTERNAL RIBS WERE BENT ALONG VERTICAL WEB SECTION AND 12 RIVETS HAD BEEN SHEARED ALONG THE REAR SPAR LOWER VERTICAL CHORD FLANGE. THE REAR SPAR CHORD FLANGE WAS ALSO NOTED AS SLIGHTLY BENT. ADDITIONAL DAMAGE NOTED AT THE LEFT MAIN GEAR DOWN LOCK SWITCH, SWITCH HARNESS, AND SWITCH ASSEMBLY. ALL THESE PARTS, INCLUDING BOTH LEFT MAIN WHEEL ASSEMBLIES WERE REMOVED AND REPLACED. A LANDING GEAR RET/EXT CHECK WAS PERFORMED SATISFACTORILY. DAMAGE TO THE TRAILING FLAP ASSEMBLY CONSISTED OF: REPLACEMENT OF TRAIL FLAP TAB ASSEMBLY AND INSPECTION AND TEMPORARY REPAIR TO LOWER CORD VERTICAL FLANGE IN ACCORDANCE WITH USAIR EA 33663, DATED: SEPTEMBER 25, 1996. REPAIR DUE REINSPECT EVERY 125 HRS. FINAL REPAIR SCHEDULED NOT TO EXCEED 500 HRS. AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED FOR REVENUE SERVICE. AEA-FSDO CONSIDERS THIS INVESTIGATION CLOSED.

## Other reports on N931VJ (2)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19960810032689I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960810032689I), Aug 10, 1996: Doug DC931 (N931VJ), Rochester, NY. Narrative: on 8/10/96 at 1534 EDT a Douglas DC-9-31 operated by usair, inc., landed at Rochester, NY airport after a precautionary shut-down of the right…
- [Incident 19801227085109I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19801227085109I), Dec 27, 1980: Doug DC931 (N931VJ), West Palm Beach, FL. Flight experienced electrical failure and depressurization. A wire had broken in the transformer.

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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