- Date
- January 2, 1990, 00:07 local (05:07 UTC)
- Place
- Baltimore, MD
- Injuries
- 3 serious, 7 minor, 247 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N109AADouglas DC-10
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report December 8, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900102066289A
- Case key
- 11540
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Injuries associated with the evacuation of the aircraft.
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
Smoke entered the flight deck and cabin during cruise flight and the flight diverted to and landed at bwi. After the flight came to a stop on the runway, the captain ordered the emergency evacuation of the aircraft. All the emergency exits were used, except the overwing exits. When the overwing exits were deployed, they blew over the rear instead of over the front of the wing and were deemed unusable. Examination of the aircraft revealed the no. 1 air conditioning module overheated and oil residue on it was the smoke source.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N109AA
- Reported as
- Douglas DC-10
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 46509
- Engine
- GE CF6-6, 40,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Departed
- DFW · Dallas, TX
- Destination
- LGA · New York, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BWI · Baltimore-Washington, runway 28, 9,452 × 200 ft, asphalt
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 1,506 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 280° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 34 °F, dew point 27 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BWI
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N109AA · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.