ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 147123
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| Date: | Thursday 20 February 1997 |
| Time: | 07:45 LT |
| Type: |  McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 |
| Owner/operator: | Northwest Airlines |
| Registration: | N93S |
| MSN: | 47078 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1967 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5454 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W JT8D-7B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 36 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | near Des Moines, IA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | Minneapolis, MN (MSP |
| Kansas City, MN (KMCI) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
There was an electrical fire during cruise flight at FL310. The flight crew extinguished the flames by turning off both generators and the battery switch. The flight diverted to Des Moines, Iowa, where it landed without further incident. Inspection of the airplane revealed the cross tie relay along with four other relays and their associated wiring in the left main equipment rack near the left forward cabin door were charred. Investigation revealed the fire was a result of a phase-to-phase short in the cross tie relay arc box. The short resulted from relay contact wear products (metal dust) migrating through the arc box. The relay manufacturer recommended a 7,000 hour time between overhaul (TBO) for this relay when it is used as a cross tie relay. The aircraft manufacturer recommended a 7,000 hour TBO regardless of how the relay is used. The operator used a 14,000 hour TBO, based on an FAA approved TBO reliability program for the relay installed in a vertical or horizontal orientation. The failed relay had a total of 7,775.26 hours since overhaul.
Probable Cause: the cross tie relay shorted resulting in a fire in the left main electrical equipment rack.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CHI97IA072
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Jul-2012 07:21 | harro | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:28 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 08-Apr-2024 16:49 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Cn, Other fatalities, Nature, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report] |
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