# Accident 19970807045599A: Lkheed 1011385115, Honolulu, HI, August 7, 1997 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: August 7, 1997, 19:35 local time - Place: Honolulu, HI - Airport: Honolulu International Airport - Damage: Minor damage - Phase of flight: To Aborted (Fixed Wing) - Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121) - Operator: DALA - Location: 21.3497° N, 157.8801° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=21.3497&lon=-157.8801&mi=10 - Aircraft: N740DA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N740DA-2002-02-08) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Lockheed L-1011-385-1-15 (registry code 5265015, https://openairdocs.org/model/lockheed-l-1011-385-1-15) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Rolls-Royce RB-211 series (registry code 54555, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-rb-211-series) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: LKHEED 1011385115 - Reported engine: RROYCE RB211* - People aboard: 246 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 20,000 total, 2,000 in this make and model - NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX97FA276](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97FA276) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970807045599A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. DELTA AIRLINES ACFT ABORTED TAKE-OFF FOR UNKNOWN REASONS BLOWING EIGHT TIRES AND SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGING THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR, 11 POB SUFFERED UNKNOWN INJURIES (2 HAVE BACK PAINS/STRAIN, 8 SUFFERED BURNS AND SMOKE INHALATION, AND 1 POB HAS A BROKEN ANKLE). (.19) ON AUGUST 7, 1997, AT 1935 HAWAII STANDARD TIME, DELTA AIRLINES FLIGHT 54, A LOCKHEED L-1011-385, N740DA, ABORTED TAKEOFF ON RUNWAY 8R AT THE HONOLULU, HAWAII, INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. A WHEEL/BRAKE FIRE ENSUED AFTER THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP AND TWO PASSENGERS SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES DURING THE SUBSEQUENT EMERGENCY EVACUATION. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE AND THE REMAINING 305 OCCUPANTS WERE NOT INJURED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED BY DELTA SIRLINES, INC., AS A NON-STOP SCHEDULED DOMESTIC PASSENGER FLIGHT FROM HONOLULU TO ATLANTA, GEORGIA, UNDER 14 CFR PART 121. THE FLIGHT BLOCKED OUT FROM THE GATE ABOUT 1910 ON THE EVENING OF THE ACCIDENT. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE CAPTAIN REPORTED THAT AS THE AIRCRAFT REACHED V1(155 KNOTS), HE NOTED A DOOR-OPEN LIGHT ON THE PCAWP. HE ANNOUNCED TO THE CREW HIS INTENTION TO CONTINUE THE TAKEOFF BY SAYING "I'M GOING." HE HAD NOT ROTATED WHEN A SECOND OR SO LATER HE FELT THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO VIBRATE, SHUDDER, AND YAW TO THE LEFT. HE PERCEIVED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS SETTLING TO THE LEFT AND HEARD WHAT DESCRIBED AS POPPING SOUNDS. AT THAT POINT, HE DECIDED THAT IT WOULD NOT BE SAFE TO ATTEMPT TO LIFTOFF AND ABORTED THE TAKEOFF. HE SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT BY USING FULL BRAKING AND REVERSE THRUST AND CORRECTED THE YAW BY USE OF BRAKE AND RUDDER INPUT. THE FIRST OFICER STATED THAT HE ALSO APPLIED THE BRAKES DURING THE LAST 2,000 FEET OF STOPPING DISTANCE AND REPORTED THEIR CONDITION TO HE CONTROL TOWER. THE SECOND OFFICER MENTIONED TO THE CAPTAIN THAT THE BRAKES WOULD LIKELY BE VERY HOT AND SUGGESTED THAT AN EVACUATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BE CONSIDERED. WHEN THE AIRCRAFT STOPPED THE CAPTAIN CALLED FOR THE EVACUATION CHECKLIST BECAUSE HE THOUGHT THE POTENTIAL FOR FIRE WAS SIGNIFICANT. AT THAT TIME HE HEARD A VOICE COMING FROM THE BACK OF THE AIRCRAFT SAYING THE WORD "FIRE." THE CAPTAIN COMPLETED THE EVACUATION CHECKLIST AND THE FIRST OFFICER CONTACTED THE TOWER REQUESTING THAT FIRE AND RESCUE PERSONNEL AND EQUIPMENT BE DISPATCHED. AFTER GIVING EVACUATION SIGNAL, HE NOTED THAT THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HAD BEGUN OPENING THE DOORS AND DEPLOYING THE EVACUATION SLIDES. AFTER SECURING THE COCKPIT WITH REFERENCE TO THE CHECKLIST, THE COCKPIT CREW WENT INTO CABIN TO ASSIST THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WITH THE EVACUATION. UPON DETERMINING THAT THERE WERE NO PASSENGERS REMAINING ONBOARD, THE CAPTAIN EXITED THE AIRCRAFT AT THE 1R DOOR FOLLOWED BY THE FIRST OFFICER. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS INFORMED HIM THAT THE 2R AND 4R DOORS FAILED TO OPEN SUFFICIENTLY TO BE UTILIZED IN THE EVACUATION. THEY SAID THEY DID NOT USE THE 4L DOOR BECAUSE OF THE PROXIMITY OF THE SMOKE AND FIRE EMANATING FROM THE LEFT MAIN GEAR. THE CSC ASKED THE SECOND OFFICER TO ASSIST PEOPLE AS THEY CAME DOWN THE SLIDE. HE RESPONDED BY EXITING THE 1L DOOR AND BEGAN ASSISTING THE PASSENGERS AS THEY CAME DOWN THE SLIDE. HE STATED THAT HE WAS SOON OVERWHELMED BY THE FREQUENCY OF THE EVACUEES. AS THEY CAME DOWN THE SLIDE, THEY BEGAN COLLIDING AND PILING UP ON EACH OTHER. HE YELLED FOR THE EVACUATION TO BE SLOWED, BUT REPORTED THAT THE RATE OF THE EVACUATION DID NOT SLOW. IN ADDITION TO THE SMOKE AND FLAMES COMING FROM THE LEFT TRUCK, THE CAPTAIN OBSERVED THAT THE BRAKES ON THE RIGHT TRUCK WERE GLOWING CHERRY RED. HE ESTIMATED THAT FIRE AND RESCUE PERSONNEL ARRIVED AT THE SCENE ABOUT 6 TO 8 MINUTES AFTER THE ACCIDENT. (.4) AFTER MAINTENANCE COMPLETED TROUBLESHOOTING AND THE AIRCRAFT TAXIED OUT FOR THE FINAL TIME, THE AIRCRAFT HAD TAXIED 11.3 MILES WITHIN A 3-HOUR PERIOD. THERE WAS NO TEMPERATURE GAUGE OR TABULAR DATA AVAILABLE THAT COULD HAVE INFORMED THE CREW THAT HEAT BUILDUP RESULTING FROM TAXI DISTANCE WAS NOW AT A LEVEL THAT POTENTIALLY THREATENED THE INTEGRITY OF THE TIRES. DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE 3F TIRE EXPLODED, RESULTING IN VIBRATION, SHUDDER, AND YAW. THE SUDDEN INSTABILITY, COMBINED WITH A PHANTOM C1 CARGO DOOR LIGHT, CAUSED THE CAPTAIN TO ABORT. THE ABORT WAS INITIATED ABOUT VR (165 KNOTS) WITH APPROXIMATELY 6,000 FEET OF RUNWAY REMAINING. AS THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A STOP, THE NOSE WHEELS WERE 164 FEET SHORT OF THE OVERRUN AREA FOR RUNWAY 8R. A BRAKE FIRE BEGAN WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WAS STOPPING AND THE CAPTAIN DIRECTED AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION. THE 2R AND 4R DOORS FAILED TO OPEN, AND THE 4L AND 3L DOORS WERE NOT USED DUE TO THEIR PROXIMITY TO THE FIRE AND SMOKE. THE 4R DOOR WAS JAMMED BY A BROKEN PIECE OF BACKBOARD, AND THE 2R DOOR MALFUNCTIONED DUE TO A PARTIALLY BROKEN COUNTERBALANCE SPRING. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WHO ATTEMPTED TO OPEN THE 2R DOOR DID NOT ATTEMPT TO MANUALLY LIFT THE DOOR. ALL EVACUATIONS WERE MADE THROUGH THE 1L, 1R, 2L, AND 3R DOORS. FIREFIGHTERS HAD DIFFICULTY COMMUNICATING WITH THE FLIGHT CREW AND IN VERIFYING THE TOTAL NUMBER ONBOARD BECAUSE THE AIRLINE'S PASSENGER COUNT DOES NOT INCLUDE LAP CHILDREN. A TOTAL OF 56 PASSENGERS AND 2 FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES, WHILE 1 PASSENGER RECEIVED A BROKEN ANKLE. ALL INJURIES WERE ATTRIBUTED TO THE USE OF THE SLIDES. PASSENGERS FAILED TO FOLLOW FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND ATTEMPTED TO EVACUATE WITH THEIR CARRYONS. THE AIRLINE DID NOT EFFECTIVELY SUPERVISE THE PASSENGERS AFTER THE EVACUATION AND SEVERAL BEGAN WALKING TOWARD AN ACTIVE RUNWAY. AN INSPECTION OF THE 3R TIRE SHOWED BEAD SEPARATION HAD OCCURRED. THE ESTIMATED BEAD TEMPERATURES DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL REACHED BETWEEN 350 AND 400 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. THE BEAD BEGINS TO DEGRADE BETWEEN 250 AND 280 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB LAX97FA276](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX97FA276), Aug 8, 1997: Lockheed L-1011-385-1-15 (N740DA), Honolulu, HI, minor damage. Probable cause: the cumulative distance taxied immediately prior to takeoff that precipitated an excessive heat buildup in the tires and resulted in the bead separation of a single tire during the takeoff roll. The… ## Other reports on N740DA (4) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19910901043219I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19910901043219I), Sep 1, 1991: Lkheed 1011385114 (N740DA), Covington - Cin, OH. NR1 nacelle overheat light on during climb. Returned. Replaced lower high pass pneumatic clamp on NR1 engine. - [Incident 19910325016809I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19910325016809I), Mar 25, 1991: Lkheed 1011385115 (N740DA), Covington - Cin, OH. Forward and aft cargo door warning lights on climb. Returned. Found door warning system faulty. - [Incident 19891121058849I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19891121058849I), Nov 21, 1989: Lkheed 10113851 (N740DA), Covington - Cin, OH. NR2 engine thrust reverser pressure light on during climb. Returned. Maintenance locked it in open position. - [Incident 19850728042849I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19850728042849I), Jul 28, 1985: Lkheed 10113851 (N740DA), Albuquerque, NM. Passenger was rendered unconscious when heavy object fell on him when overhead bin was opened. 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.