- Date
- January 3, 1991, 19:30 local (Jan 4, 1991, 01:30 UTC)
- Place
- Des Moines, IA
- Injuries
- 2 minor, 102 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N6821Boeing B727-223
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910103001819I
- Case key
- 14924
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
An oil leak originating from the auxiliary power unit which created smoke in the passenger cabin after it passed through the air conditioning/heating system equipment and associated duct work.
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 airplane was taxiing to its assigned gate after landing when a flight attendent informed the captain that there was a fire in the rear of the airplane. The captain immediately stopped and the passengers were deplanned using the company's emergency evacuation procedures. A flight attendent and one passenger received minor injuries during the evacuation process. Nineth-six passengers and six other airplane crewmembers did not receive injuries. A fire was not present, smoke had been filling the passenger cabin. The smoke came from the air conditioning/heating system ducts. The smoke was a result of an oil leak in the aircraft power unit (APU) which entered the APU duct work, the air conditioning packs and associated circulation ducting. When a certain heat range had been selected the oil laden air would change into smoke as it exited the cabin heat duct opening.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N6821
- Reported as
- Boeing B727-223
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19496
- Engine
- GE JT-8-D-9, turbo jet
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Wilmington Trust Co. - Trustee
- Departed
- DFW · Dallas/Ft.Worth, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DSM · Des Moines International, runway 7
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
- 37
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 240° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- DSM, 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.
Other investigations on N6821 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.