ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 366121
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| Date: | Friday 28 September 1990 |
| Time: | 18:00 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 727-251 |
| Owner/operator: | Northwest Airlines |
| Registration: | N278US |
| MSN: | 21157/1173 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 37173 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W JT8D-15A |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 132 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Detroit, MI -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Taxi |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | MONTREAL ( YUL) |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
FOUR PASSENGERS WERE INJURED DURING THE EMERGENCY EVACUATION FOLLOWING AN APU FIRE. THE CREW REPORTED THE APU FIRE BELL WHILE TAXIING. THE CAPT. ELECTED TO EVACUATE, BUT DID NOT INDICATE THE NATURE OF THE PROBLEM TO EITHER THE CABIN ATTENDANTS OR PASSENGERS. SEVERAL PASSENGERS USED THE OVERWING EXITS ON THE SAME SIDE AS THE FIRE AND WERE INJURED JUMPING OFF THE WING. ONE SAID THAT THE WING FLAPS WERE NOT LOWERED DURING THE EVACUATION. THE APU HAD BEEN PLACARDED INOPERATIVE PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT. CREW ADVISED IN WRITING. THE COCKPIT VOICE RECORDER TAPE WAS ERASED IN THE COCKPIT AFTER THE ACCIDENT, SO THE FLIGHT CREW'S ACTIVITIES WERE NOT ABLE TO BE REVIEWED. POST ACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE APU REVEALED THAT THE FIRE STARTED BECAUSE OF AN ATTEMPTED START OF THE DEFECTIVE UNIT. PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT, NWA MAINTENANCE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE THE APU INOPERABLE FROM THE COCKPIT BY OPENING CIRCUIT BREAKERS. THE WRONG CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS FULLED, LEAVING THE APU OPERABLE.
Probable Cause: THE INTENTIONAL ACTIVATION OF THE AUXILLARY POWER UNIT BY THE FLIGHT ENGINEER, AND THE IMPROPER EVACUATION PROCEDURES BY THE PILOT IN COMMAND. AN ASSOCIATED FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE APU CIRCUIT BREAKERS WERE NOT PULLED BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CHI90FA278
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 3 December 1990 | N278US | Northwest Airlines | 0 | Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW) | |
sub |
| 28 November 1993 | N278US | Northwest Airlines | Montreal International (Dorval) Airport, Quebec |  |
||
| Inflight smoke | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 20-Mar-2024 17:34 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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