# NTSB SEA00IA050: McDonnell Douglas MD-83, N974AS, Seattle, WA, March 12, 2000

- Type: NTSB incident investigation
- Classification: Incident · Minor injuries · Incident investigation · Final report
- Date: March 11, 2000, 16:25 local (Mar 12, 2000, 00:25 UTC)
- Place: Seattle, WA
- Coordinates: 47.440402, -122.279716 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=47.4404&lon=-122.2797&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Highest injury: Minor injuries
- Injuries: 2 minor, 91 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report January 2, 2001
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- NTSB case key (mKey): 48832
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=SEA00IA050
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/48832/pdf
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/SEA00IA050

## Probable cause

The flight crew's encounter with a suspicious device, which necessitated an emergency evacuation.

## Analysis

According to officials from the Federal Aviation Administration, a passenger inadvertently picked up a backpack containing a Modular Bomb System (MBS), a security testing device used for training security personnel.  The passenger then boarded the airplane.  During climb, a flight attendant discovered the device and reported it to the flight crew. The flight attendant said that there was a bag that looked like a bomb.  The captain had the first officer verify the flight attendant's observation.   The captain requested an emergency return to Seattle, and asked for emergency equipment to stand by.  After landing, the airplane was directed to a remote location and the crew performed the emergency evacuation

## Factual narrative

On March 11, 2000, about 1625 Pacific standard time, Alaska Airlines flight 444, a Boeing MD-83, N974AS, operated by Alaska Airlines, Inc., as a 14CFR121 scheduled passenger flight, made an emergency landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport after a crew member found a suspicious device located in a passenger's backpack.  Two flight crewmembers, three flight attendants. and 86 passengers were not injured; however, two passengers sustained minor injuries during the emergency evacuation.  Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight plan had been filed for the flight.  The flight originated from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, with a planned destination of Ontario, California, approximately 30 minutes prior to the emergency landing.

According to officials from the Federal Aviation Administration, a passenger on flight 444 inadvertently picked up a backpack containing a Modular Bomb System (MBS), a security testing device used for training security personnel.  The passenger then boarded the airplane.  During climb, a flight attendant discovered the device and reported it to the flight crew.  The flight attendant said that there was a bag that looked like a bomb.  The captain had the first officer verify the flight attendant's observation.   The captain requested an emergency return to Seattle, and asked for emergency equipment to stand by.  After landing, the airplane was directed to a remote location and the crew performed the emergency evacuation.

## Sequence of events

In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf).

- Miscellaneous/other, emergency landing
  - miscellaneous (cause)
  - evacuation - performed, flightcrew

## Aircraft

- Registration: N974AS (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: McDonnell Douglas MD-83
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 53450
- Airframe hours: 21741
- Engines: P&W JT8D-217C 20850 lbs thrust turbo jet
- Damage: Minor damage
- Flight: Part 121
- Registered owner: Alaska Airlines Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport
- Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, March 13, 2000, 103 hours before
- Departed: SEA, WA
- Destination: ONT, ONTARIO, CA
- Flight plan: IFR

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 47; 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: 11,800 total, 8,347 in this make and model, 6,583 as pilot in command

## Weather

- Conditions: Not reported

## 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 20000311003859I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20000311003859I), Mar 11, 2000: Doug DC983, Seattle, WA. Alaska flight 444, returned to ksea shortly after departuredue to discovery by a lfight attendant of what appeared to be explosive device (mbs) found on a…

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.

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