- Date
- December 23, 2017, 21:21 UTC
- Place
- Bethel, AK
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N935CEMcdonnell Douglas DC 9 33F
- Defining event
- Initial climb: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 23, 2019
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- FAA report
- 20171223024249A
- Case key
- 96537
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
failure of a cargo tie-down fastener, resulting in unsecured cargo striking the pressure bulkhead.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
On December 23, 2017 at 1221 Alaska Standard Time (AkST) a Boeing/McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, registration N935CE, experienced a depressurization on initial climb from the Bethel, Alaska, airport (PABE.) The flight crew returned to Bethel and landed with no further incident. There were no injuries to the two flight crew and one cargo handler on board. The depressurization resulted from a pallet jack in the cargo compartment impacting the rear pressure bulkhead, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. Inspection revealed a tie-down fastener for the pallet jack had pulled out.
Factual narrative
On December 23, 2017 at 1221 Alaska Standard Time (AST), a Boeing/McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, N935CE, experienced a depressurization on initial climb from the Bethel, Alaska, airport (PABE.) The flight crew returned to Bethel and landed with no further incident. There were no injuries to the two flight crew members or one cargo handler on board. The depressurization resulted from a pallet jack in the cargo compartment impacting the rear pressure bulkhead, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. Inspection revealed a tie-down fastener for the pallet jack had pulled out.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N935CE
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC 9 33F (33F)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 47413
- Built
- 1969
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Everts Air
- Registered owner
- Tatonduk Outfitters Limited
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- PABE · Bethel, AK
- Destination
- PANC · Anchorage, AK
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PABE · Bethel, runway 19R, 6,400 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 15, 2017
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 8,000 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 3,000 as pilot in command · 180 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 31
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 6, 2017
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 5,250 total · 450 in this make and model · 3,400 as pilot in command · 170 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 15 knots, gusting 23
- Lowest ceiling
- 12,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 39 °F, dew point 28 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.57 inHg
- Observed at
- PABE
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 12, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.2 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.