# Incident 20080707848269I: Doug DC981, St Louis, MO, July 7, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 7, 2008, 14:55 local time
- Place: St Louis, MO
- Airport: Lambert-St Louis International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Climb
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: MWEA
- Location: 38.7486° N, 90.3700° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.7486&lon=-90.3700&mi=10
- Aircraft: N804ME, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N804ME-2013-05-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-81(MD-81) (registry code 3022081, https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-dc-9-81-md-81) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney JT8D series (registry code 52053, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-jt8d-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DOUG DC981
- Reported engine: PWA JT8D217
- People aboard: 49
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 15,103 total, 10,458 in this make and model, 200 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CHI08IA182](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI08IA182) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080707848269I

## Narrative

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

(-23) ON MONDAY JULY 7, 2008 1455Z A MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-81, N804ME OPERATED BY MIDWEST AIRLINES AS A CHARTERED FLIGHT #8663 DEPARTED CHICAGO'S MIDWAY (MDW) AT APPROXIMATELY 1455Z.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ WAS ONBOARD THE CHARTERED FLIGHT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT.  DURING CLIMB-OUT FROM MDW, WHEN BEGINNING TO LEVEL OFF AT INITIAL DEPARTURE ALTITUDE, THE CONTROL PRESSURE NEEDED TO LEVEL OFF SEEMED ABNORMAL REQUIRING HIGHER THAN NORMAL INPUTS.  THIS WAS ONLY NOTICED IN THE PITCH CONTROL.  AILERON, RUDDER AND PITCH TRIM INPUTS WERE NORMAL.  THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO CLIMB TO 32000' WHILE THE FLIGHT CREW PERFORMED PROCEDURES CALL OUT IN THE QUICK REFERENCE HAND BOOK (QRH).  TROUBLE-SHOOTING PROCESS DETERMINED THE AIRCRAFT WAS FULLY CONTROLLABLE USING BOTH PRIMARY PITCH TRIM AND HIGHER THAN NORMAL CONTROL FORCE INPUTS AND AUTOPILOT (ALT LONG TRIM).  CREW NOTIFIED COMPANY MAINTENANCE CONTROL AND DISPATCH AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO DIVERT TO ST. LOUIS (STL) AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY.  DESCENDING MAINTENANCE CONTROL AND DISPATCH AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE TO DIVERT TO ST. LOUIS (STL) AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY.  DESCENDING THROUGH 15000' IMMEDIATELY THEREAFTER THE CONTROL PRESSURES NEEDED TO HAND FLY RETURNED TO NORMAL.  THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY WITHOUT INCIDENT INTO STL.

## 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 CHI08IA182](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CHI08IA182), Jul 7, 2008: Mcdonnell Douglas MD-81 (N804ME), St. Louis, MO, incident, minor damage. Probable cause: The inadvertent partial inflation of the evacuation slide within the tailcone during takeoff and subsequent binding of the elevator control cables. The partial inflation resulted from the tailcone…

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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