- Date
- November 27, 1992, 20:39 local (Nov 28, 1992, 02:39 UTC)
- Place
- Chicago, IL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 5 minor, 118 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N401DABoeing 727-232
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 15, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19921127055899A
- Case key
- 15631
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
The captain's inadequate coordination with the ground and flight crew. Factors related to the accident were: the passenger's perception that the APU exhaust was a fire, which resulted in action that initiated an evacuation.
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 flight had arrived at the jetway and the passengers were beginning to deplane. Before external ground power was supplied to the airplane, the capt prematurely shut down the number one engine which was supplying electrical power to the cabin. When the engine was shut down, the main cabin lights went out, followed immediately by the illumination of the battery-powered emergency floor lights. The flight engineer announced to the capt that he was starting the auxiliary power unit (APU). As he started the APU, an exhaust flame momentarily came out from the APU exhaust pipe located near the top of the right wing root. Some passengers yelled 'fire' and began an uncommanded evacuation through the overwing exits. Crew members were able to stop the evaucation, but not before several passengers had jumped off the wings and incurred injuries.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N401DA
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-232
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21145
- Engine
- P&W JT8D, 15,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Airlines
- Registered owner
- Delta Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- MCO · Orlando, FL
- Destination
- ORD
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 59
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 19,998 total · 8,860 in this make and model · 106 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 220° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.