- Date
- August 21, 1992, 22:40 local (Aug 22, 1992, 02:40 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 3 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N748UPDouglas DC-8-71F
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report August 29, 1994
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- Case key
- 33012
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
Failure of the aircraft operator maintenance personnel to adequately lubricate and seal the main landing gear bogie beam swivel joint as required by manufacturer and operator maintenance program requirements. This allowed moisture to enter the swivel joint and cause corrosion damage which caused stress corrosion cracking and failure of the swivel joint lugs. Contributing to the incident was lack of clear instructions in the operators maintenance program regarding lubrication of the swivel joint.
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
Aircraft experienced collapse of the left main landing gear bogie while stopped at the runway awaiting takeoff clearance. Postincident examination indicated the aft bogie swivel joint lugs had failed due to stress corrosion cracking. The swivel joint did not have proper lubrication which keeps water out. This allowed formation of corrosion on the surface of the lugs, and subsequent crack initiation at the corrosion pits. Operator maintenance requirements specified that the swivel joint be lubricated every weekend check and every 'a' check. The work cards for these two inspections called out in narrative form the lubricating of the bogie pivot joint. The cards called for the swivel joint to be lubricated by reference to a number on an illustration. The failure of the swivel joint lugs was the subject of Douglas aircraft all operator letters in 1976 and 1990. These letters stressed to operators the importance of lubricating the swivel joint to prevent corrosion formation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N748UP
- Reported as
- Douglas DC-8-71F
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 45948
- Airframe hours
- 56,123
- Engine
- Snecma CFM-56-2, 22,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Parcel Service Co.
- Registered owner
- United Parcel Service Co.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · May 31, 1992 · 327 hours before
- Departed
- MIA
- Destination
- SDF · Louisville, KY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MIA · Miami International, runway 9
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
- 43
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,100 total · 8,100 in this make and model · 8,100 as pilot in command · 93 in the last 90 days · 38 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 80° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 7 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MIA, 1 nm away
Other investigations on N748UP · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.