- Date
- August 11, 1984, 01:01 local (06:01 UTC)
- Place
- Memphis, TN
- Injuries
- 3 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N70003Douglas DC3C-S1C3G
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840811040079A
- Case key
- 6295
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
Moments after the DC-3 took off, the twr ctlr noted the l eng was torching & asked the flt if it was 'having a problem.'the crew replied 'affirmative,' then the ctlr clrd the flt to lnd on any rwy. The acft began turning left at the end of the rwy & contd turning at low alt until it struck utility poles & crashed thru a warehouse roof about 2 mi fm the arpt.a witness rprtd the acft was at an alt of aprx 100 to 150 ft AGL, the l prop was feathered & the r eng was at full pwr. An exam of the l eng disclosed the #14 cylinder was missing a spark plug fm the front spark plug hole. The spark plug lead & 'b' nut were attached to the ignition harness, but no plug was attached to the lead. The spark plug hole & b-nut threads were undamaged. A white deposit was fnd inside the cylinder spark plug threads & outside the cylinder, adjacent to the hole. The deposit was identified to contain high concentrations of lead & bromine, most likely formed from exhaust gases & fuel during cylinder operation. A company mechanic rprtdly worked on the plugs on the previous day.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N70003
- Reported as
- Douglas DC3C-S1C3G
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 12938
- Airframe hours
- 11,247
- Engine
- P&W R-1830-94, 1,100 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 135
- Operator
- Aviation Enterprises,Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 21, 1984 · 63 hours before
- Departed
- MEM · Memphis, TN
- Destination
- ORD · Chicago, IL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- Memphis International, runway 36R, 8,400 × 150 ft, concrete
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 46
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 77 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEM, 2 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.