Delta Air Lines Flight 1288
Encyclopedia
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...
Flight 1288 was a regularly scheduled flight from Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola Regional Airport
Pensacola International Airport is a public airport located within the city of Pensacola in Escambia County, Florida.- Facilities :Pensacola International Airport covers and has two runways:...
to Atlanta, Georgia
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States...
on a McDonnell-Douglas MD-88 equipped with Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofan engines. During the flight's takeoff roll from runway 17 at Pensacola on July 6, 1996, the aircraft experienced an uncontained, catastrophic turbine engine failure
Turbine engine failure
A turbine engine failure refers to an incident wherein a turbine engine in an aircraft unexpectedly stops producing power because of a part malfunction, in the absence of circumstances such as fuel exhaustion.-Nature of failures:...
that caused debris from the front compressor hub of the number one left engine to penetrate the left aft fuselage. The impact left two passengers dead and two severely injured. The pilot aborted takeoff and the airplane stopped on the runway. Three other passengers sustained minor injuries during the emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation
Emergency evacuation is the immediate and rapid movement of people away from the threat or actual occurrence of a hazard. Examples range from the small scale evacuation of a building due to a bomb threat or fire to the large scale evacuation of a district because of a flood, bombardment or...
. Most of the passengers were traveling on vacation.
Pre-flight inspection
During the pre-flight inspection, the First Officer noted a few drops of oil coming from the "bullet" or tip of the number one (left) engine, although it was said to be "not that serious". The First Officer also noticed a couple of missing rivets on the left wing. The Pilot told NTSB investigators that both problems were observed as non threatening and that the aircraft was airworthy, therefore maintenance was not informed.Takeoff and Incident
At 2:23P CDT Delta Flight 1288 was cleared for takeoff on Runway 17. As the First Officer was advancing the throttles and reaching an airspeed of 40 knots, the cockpit lost lighting and instrumentation. The rear cabin passengers and flight crew heard a very loud bang and experienced a blast-like sensation. The pilot then abandoned takeoff by bringing the throttle to idle and engaging the brake which brought the aircraft to an eventual stop without use of reversers or spoilers. Anita L. Saxton and 12 year-old Nolan Saxton sustained fatal injuries; 15 year-old Derek Saxton and 9 year-old Spencer Saxton were listed in "Good Condition" at Sacred Heart Hospital on July 7, 1996.
Boeing 767
The Boeing 767 is a mid-size, wide-body twin-engine jet airliner built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. It was the manufacturer's first wide-body twinjet and its first airliner with a two-crew glass cockpit. The aircraft features two turbofan engines, a supercritical wing, and a conventional tail...
pilot, went to inspect the rear of the aircraft. When the First Officer saw the over-wing exits open and about half of the passengers missing along with engine noise, he returned to the cockpit and advised the captain to kill the engines. At 2:27P CDT the pilot requested emergency medical assistance due to the jump-seat passenger's report of a large hole in the fuselage, engine debris throughout the cabin, and injured passengers. He then reported there was no evidence of smoke or fire in the cabin, and that the rear cabin door had been opened and the emergency slide was inflated. The flight attendant who initiated the evacuation through that door told NTSB that she saw fire on the left engine therefore abandoned evacuation through that door and directed passengers forward. She reported that there were many injuries and possibly two dead, therefore she began to evacuate the plane until she was stopped by the First Officer. Due to the damage to and danger at the rear of the aircraft, the air stairs built into the MD-88 were found unsuitable to use. The captain then requested for portable air stairs to deplane passengers which arrived 25 minutes later.
NTSB investigation
After a total investigation, the NTSB determined the most probable cause of the accident was a fracture in the left engine's front compressor fan hub, which resulted from failure of the airline's Fluorescent Penetrant inspection process to detect a potentially dangerous crack in the fan which originated from the engine's initial manufacture. The NTSB also attributed the accident to the failure of Delta's maintenance team to discover the problem.Aftermath
As of September 2009 Flight 1288 no longer designates the Delta PensacolaPensacola
Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
-Atlanta (PNS-ATL) route. , the FAA reports the aircraft involved in the incident is still in service with Delta and still registered as N927DA. , Delta continues to fly the MD88 and also uses the DC95 aircraft on its Pensacola
Pensacola
Pensacola is a city in the western part of the U.S. state of Florida.Pensacola may also refer to:* Pensacola people, a group of Native Americans* A number of places in the Florida:** Pensacola Bay** Pensacola Regional Airport...
-Atlanta route.