ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 370403
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| Date: | Tuesday 10 June 2003 |
| Time: | 10:30 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 757-2Q8 |
| Owner/operator: | Trans World Airlines (TWA) |
| Registration: | N704X |
| MSN: | 28163/741 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 22891 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney PW-2037 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 174 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | Dodge City, KS -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Saint Louis-Lambert International Airport, MO (STL/KSTL) |
| Santa Ana-John Wayne International Airport, CA (SNA/KSNA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The lead flight attendant had given the captain a tray of refreshments and was attempting to secure the flight deck door. When the flight attendant slammed the door closed, the upper pressure relief latch activated, causing the upper decompression panel to open. The panel fell forward and down, striking the captain on the head. The captain received a 1-inch cut on his head. The first officer requested and received clearance for an immediate descent and landing at Denver, Colorado. An examination of the flight deck door showed the correct placard in place; however, the door was not in compliance with the manufacturer's issued Service Bulletin (SB), B231001-52-02 for the Boeing model 757-200 flight deck door. On further examination, the doorstop mechanism, mounted on the bottom of the flight deck door, was found to be loose and missing one attachment screw. According to an FAA inspector, this misalignment would cause the door to "hang and catch" the floor, requiring added force to close the door. The SB instructed that modified pressure relief latches and latch spacers be installed on the upper and lower decompression panels on flight deck doors, and latch straps be installed on upper panels. The airline company and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) were aware of previous problems with the flight deck door latches. The NTSB issued an urgent safety recommendation letter requesting the FAA issue an Airworthiness Directive that required compliance with the SB within 90 days. The FAA subsequently issued the appropriate AD.
Probable Cause: the inadvertent activation of the flight deck door's upper pressure relief latch during closure of the door, resulting in the deployment of the upper decompression panel which subsequently struck the captain. Contributing factors included the operator's improper compliance with the door manufacturer's service bulletin, the operator's inadequate service and maintenance of the flight deck door, and the door manufacturer's inadequate service bulletin compliance determination.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB DEN03IA101
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 9 February 2011 | N704X | Delta Air Lines | 0 | Minneapolis (MSP), MN | |
min |
| Inflight smoke | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Mar-2024 10:20 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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