- Date
- March 13, 1990, 22:50 local (Mar 14, 1990, 03:50 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 59 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N8951EDouglas DC-9-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900313008739I
- Case key
- 8155
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Inadequate servicing of the airplane by operator maintenance personnel which resulted in the burst tire. Factors in the accident were hydraulic system lines which were fractured by debris from the burst tire and a total failure of the airplane hydraulic system.
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
During the takeoff roll the right gear inboard tire blew out. Both right tires were destroyed by take off roll forces. Climbing through 19000 feet the right hydraulic system indicated zero pressure & quantity. During the approach to landing the left hydraulic system depleted. After landing the left brakes locked since anti skid was inoperative. Investigation revealed no prior damage to the tire was recorded. Operator's daily service inspection requires that tire pressure be checked with a tire gauge. Two additional blown tires occurred during take off from the same operator's station within 3 months. Evidence of tire under inflation was discovered after the third incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8951E
- Reported as
- Douglas DC-9-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 47187
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-7B, 14,000 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Eastern Air Lines, Inc
- Registered owner
- First Fidelity Bank Of N.J
- Departed
- ATL
- Destination
- TLH · Talahassee, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- ATL · William B. Hartsfield, runway 27R, 11,889 × 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
- 52
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Unknown, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 13,594 total · 8,173 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 150° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 11 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F, dew point 54 °F
- Observed at
- ATL, 1 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.