# NTSB DEN08IA022: Douglas DC-8-73F, N880UP, Wichita, KS, November 2, 2007 - Type: NTSB incident investigation - Classification: Incident · No injuries · Incident investigation · Final report - Date: November 2, 2007, 05:27 local (11:27 UTC) - Place: Wichita, KS - Coordinates: 37.650001, -97.384445 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=37.6500&lon=-97.3844&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 4 uninjured - Status: Completed, report March 31, 2008 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: FAA Flight Standards District Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 67004 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DEN08IA022 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/67004/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DEN08IA022 ## Probable cause Failure of the recirculation fan motor end ball bearing. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Miscellaneous/other, cruise - normal - misc eqpt/furnishings,lavatories - seized (cause) - misc eqpt/furnishings,lavatories - smoke (cause) ## Analysis The airplane was in cruise flight when the crew detected a strange odor. When the captain opened the cockpit door, he saw smoke in the courier area. The crew donned oxygen masks, declared an emergency, and diverted to the nearest suitable airport. The crew then noticed heavy smoke coming from the lavatory and heard a motor running continuously. The captain discharged a Halon fire extinguisher into the lavatory compartment and the smoke subsided. Post-incident examination revealed the lavatory fan functioned normally, but the recirculation fan, located beneath the lavatory, had seized. The motor end ball bearing, located below the fan rotor, had failed, allowing the motor rotor to make contact with the motor stator. ## Factual narrative On November 2, 2007, at 0527 central standard time, a Douglas DC-8-73F, N880UP, registered to and operated by United Parcel Service (UPS), Louisville, Kentucky, made an emergency landing at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas, after smoke filled the cockpit. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the incident. The non-scheduled domestic cargo flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed and activated. The captain, first officer, flight engineer, and a jump seat occupant were not injured. The cross-country flight originated at Louisville (SDF), Kentucky, at 0513 eastern standard time, and was en route to Ontario International Airport (ONT), Ontario, California. According to the incident report submitted by UPS, the airplane was in cruise flight about 150 miles east of ICT when the crew detected a strange odor. When they opened the cockpit door, they saw smoke in the courier area. The crew donned oxygen masks, declared an emergency, and diverted to ICT. The crew then noticed heavy smoke coming from the lavatory and heard a motor running continuously. The captain discharged a Halon fire extinguisher into the lavatory compartment and the smoke subsided. On January 30, 2008, the lavatory fan and recirculation fan were disassembled and examined under the auspices of FAA's Flight Standards District Office in SDF. According to UPS's Aircraft Engineering Report, the lavatory fan functioned normally. Examination of the recirculation fan (m/n AVRF85-62D1779), however, revealed the motor (p/n 941D601-1) had seized. Further examination revealed the end ball bearing (p/n P8C7706-19) located below the fan rotor had failed, allowing the motor rotor to make contact with the motor stator. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N880UP](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N880UP-2011-07-19), registration cancelled 2011-07-19, S/N 46080, built 1968 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Douglas DC-8-73F - Registry model: [Douglas DC-8-73F](https://openairdocs.org/model/douglas-dc-8-73f) (registry code 302199F) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [GE CFM56 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/ge-cfm56-series) (registry code 30016, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 46080 - Engines: turbo fan - Damage: Minor damage - Flight: Part 121 - Registered owner: United Parcel Service - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: SDF, Louisville, KY - Destination: ONT, Ontario, CA - Flight plan: IFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; injuries: none; commercial, airline transport; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review June 1, 2007; seat: left; flight hours: 2,441 as pilot in command, 68 in the last 90 days, 18 in the last 30 days - Co-pilot; age 32; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review April 1, 2007; seat: rear; flight hours: 1,225 in this make and model - Flight engineer; injuries: none; flight engineer; seat: center; flight hours: 2,711 total ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Dawn - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 37 °F, dew point 30 °F - Altimeter: 30.12 inHg - Observed at: ICT ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Incident 20071102824759I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20071102824759I), Nov 2, 2007: Doug DC873F, Wichita, KS, No damage. (-23) On November 02, 2007 at 0626 local time, aircraft N880UP, flight #918, while enroute from louisville, Kentucky, (sdf) to ontario, California (ont) was… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.