- Date
- December 5, 1990, 05:15 local (10:15 UTC)
- Place
- Detroit, MI
- Injuries
- 76 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N715RCBoeing 727-257
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901205060259I
- Case key
- 14923
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
The inadequate deicing procedures instituted by company management.
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
The incident airplane experienced an APU fire shortly after landing when the APU was started. The airplane had been deiced at its point of departure with a glycol and water mix. Company policy called for the flight crew to shut off the APU during deicing. The APU exhaust outlet is on top of the right wing near the fuselage, and will accept deice fluid into the exhaust and subsequently the APU combustion chamber if deicing fluid is directed into the opening. Glycol is highly flammable once the water is vaporized/evaporated. The APU start following the landing at Detroit ignited the residual glycol in the APU, causing the exhaust stack fire.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N715RC
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-257
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22019
- Engine
- P&W JT80-17, 15,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Northwest Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · December 2, 1990 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- SEA · Seattle, WA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DTW · Detroit
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 40
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 830 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dawn
- Wind
- 300° at 14 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 28 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- NWS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.