# Incident 19990917046989I: Doug MD88, Covington/Cinci, KY, September 17, 1999

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 17, 1999
- Place: Covington/Cinci, KY
- Airport: Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky I
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: DALA
- Location: 39.0794° N, 84.7009° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.0794&lon=-84.7009&mi=10
- Aircraft: N947DL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N947DL-2022-04-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 (registry code 3023688, https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-md-88) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney JT8D series (registry code 52053, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-jt8d-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DOUG MD88
- People aboard: 122
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 11,250 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC99IA231](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99IA231) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990917046989I

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON DEPARTURE CLIMB, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING. THEN A PASSENGER NOTICED A 'GLOW' IN THE RIGHT SIDE AIR VENT NEAR HIS FEET AND REPORTED THAT THE CABIN FLOOR WAS WARM. HALON WAS SPRAYED INTO THE VENT, AND THE GLOW DISAPPEARED. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND RETURNED TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. THE AIRPLANE WAS STOPPED ON THE RUNWAY AND BASED UPON REPORTS FROM EMERGENCY PERSONNEL, AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION WAS PERFORMED. THERMAL DAMAGE AND SOOTING WAS FOUND ON THE RIGHT SIDE UNDERSIDE FLOOR STRUCTURE, A NEARBY FIBERGLASS BIN WALL PANEL, AND A POTABLE WATER BOTTLE. A 5-FOOT BY 5-FOOT AREA OF INSULATION, WHICH CONSISTED OF FIBERGLASS, COVERED ON BOTH SIDES WITH A METALLIZED MYLAR, WAS BURNED. THE RIGHT SIDE, ALTERNATE STATIC PORT HEATER LAY UNDER THE INSULATION. THE INSULATION ON ONE OF THE WIRES LEADING TO THE HEATER WAS FOUND TO BE DETERIORATED AND MELTED WHERE IT WAS BENT AROUND THE THERMOSTAT CASE. EVIDENCE OF METAL TRANSFER WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE SOLID-CORE WIRE AND THE ADJACENT HEATER CASE. SOOT WAS FOUND ON THE INSULATION COVERING THE WIRE AND ADJACENT HEATER CASE. THE HEATER WAS MANUFACTURED WITH THE WIRE BEND.

## 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 NYC99IA231](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99IA231), Sep 18, 1999: McDonnell Douglas MD-88 (N947DL), Covington, KY, incident, minor damage. Probable cause: Deteriorated wire insulation and shorting at a short radius bend to the electrical wiring in the right side alternate static port heater, which resulted in electrical arcing and a fire sustained by…

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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