- Date
- December 9, 1992, 08:00 local (15:00 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N810CKDouglas DC-8-52
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 30, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19921209049549A
- Case key
- 18242
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
An encounter with severe clear air turbulence.
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
While in cruise flight at flight level 310, 20 miles west of Denver, Colorado, the all cargo 14 CFR part 121 flight encountered severe clear air turbulence which caused major fluctuations in speed and oscillations in both pitch and roll. During these departures from controlled flight, the number one engine and 19 feet of the leading edge of the left wing separated from the aircraft. In addition, the number four engine pylon cracked and experienced substantial structural damage. The flight conducted a precautionary descent and landed at stapleton international airport, Denver, Colorado. Preceding the occurrence, the flight was encountering light to occasionally moderate chop, with moderate to severe turbulence forecast.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N810CK
- Reported as
- Douglas DC-8-52
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 45814
- Airframe hours
- 32,283
- Engine
- P&W JT3D-3B, 18,000 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Connie Kalitta Services, doing business as American Int'L Airways
- Registered owner
- American International Airways
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · October 24, 1992 · 136 hours before
- Departed
- DAY · Dayton, OH
- Destination
- SJC · San Jose, CA
- 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
- 45
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,497 total · 4,000 in this make and model · 10,400 as pilot in command · 161 in the last 90 days · 59 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 22,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DEN, 20 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.