TACA Flight 110
Encyclopedia
TACA Flight 110 was an international scheduled airline flight operated by TACA Airlines, traveling from Belize
to New Orleans. On May 24, 1988, the flight lost power in both engines but its pilots made a successful deadstick landing
on a grass levee
, with no one aboard sustaining more than minor injuries.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-3T0 (tail number
N75356, serial number 23838), had first flown on 26 January 1988, and had been in service with TACA for about two months. On this day, the flight proceeded normally, taking off from Belize City
's Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport
and flying over the Gulf of Mexico
toward the Louisiana
coast.
Investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board
(NTSB) revealed that during descent from FL
350 (35000 feet (10,668 m)) in preparation for their impending arrival at New Orleans' Moisant Field
, the pilots noticed areas of light to moderate precipitation in their path, depicted as green and yellow areas on their weather radar
, as well as "some isolated red cells" indicative of heavy precipitation to both sides of their intended flight path.
The flight entered clouds at FL 300 (30000 feet (9,144 m)), the crew selecting "continuous ignition" and turning on engine anti-ice to protect their turbofan engine
s from the effects of precipitation and icing
, either of which is capable of causing a flameout
, where the engines lose all power. Despite flying a route between the two areas of heavy precipitation shown on radar, they encountered heavy rain, hail
, and turbulence
. Passing through 16500 feet (5,029.2 m), both engines flamed out, leaving the jet gliding with neither engine thrust nor electrical power. The auxiliary power unit
(APU) was started as the plane descended through 10500 feet (3,200.4 m), restoring electrical power. While attempts to "windmill start" the engines using the airflow generated by the plane's descent were unsuccessful, the pilots were later able to start them using the engine starters which were powered by the APU. However, neither engine would accelerate to normal idle speed, much less to a point where it was producing meaningful thrust. Attempts to advance the throttles only resulted in overheating of the engines, so they were once more shut down to avoid catastrophic failure
. The pilots landed the airliner on a wide grass levee at NASA
's Michoud Assembly Facility
in the Michoud
area of eastern New Orleans, bringing the airplane to a safe stop.
NTSB investigators determined that the aircraft had inadvertently flown into a level 4 thunderstorm
and that water ingestion had caused both engines to flame out despite their being certified as meeting Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) standards for water ingestion. The aircraft suffered mild hail damage, and its right-side (number 2) engine was damaged from overheating.
Initially, it was planned to remove the wings and transport the airplane to a repair facility by barge, but Boeing engineers and test pilots decided to perform an engine change on site and to take off from the adjacent paved access road. The 737 was flown to the Moisant Field where further maintenance work was performed. The plane was then returned to service.
The investigation concluded that the engines had failed "as a result of an inflight encounter with an area of very heavy rain and hail. A contributing cause of the incident was the inadequate design of the engines and that the FAA's water ingestion certification standards did not reflect the waterfall rates that can be expected in moderate or higher intensity thunderstorms."
, and has been operated by six airlines (including TACA):
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
to New Orleans. On May 24, 1988, the flight lost power in both engines but its pilots made a successful deadstick landing
Deadstick landing
A deadstick landing, also called a dead-stick landing is a type of forced landing when an aircraft loses all of its propulsive power and is forced to land. The term is often misunderstood, as the flight controls in the majority of aircraft are either fully or partially functional, even with no...
on a grass levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
, with no one aboard sustaining more than minor injuries.
The aircraft, a Boeing 737-3T0 (tail number
Aircraft registration
An aircraft registration is a unique alphanumeric string that identifies a civil aircraft, in similar fashion to a licence plate on an automobile...
N75356, serial number 23838), had first flown on 26 January 1988, and had been in service with TACA for about two months. On this day, the flight proceeded normally, taking off from Belize City
Belize City
Belize City is the largest city in the Central American nation of Belize. Unofficial estimates place the population of Belize City at 70,000 or more. It is located at the mouth of the Belize River on the coast of the Caribbean. The city is the country's principal port and its financial and...
's Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport
Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport is an airport that serves Belize's largest city, Belize City. It was named for politician Phillip Stanley Wilberforce Goldson, who died in 2001....
and flying over the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
toward the Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
coast.
Investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board
The National Transportation Safety Board is an independent U.S. government investigative agency responsible for civil transportation accident investigation. In this role, the NTSB investigates and reports on aviation accidents and incidents, certain types of highway crashes, ship and marine...
(NTSB) revealed that during descent from FL
Flight level
A Flight Level is a standard nominal altitude of an aircraft, in hundreds of feet. This altitude is calculated from the International standard pressure datum of 1013.25 hPa , the average sea-level pressure, and therefore is not necessarily the same as the aircraft's true altitude either...
350 (35000 feet (10,668 m)) in preparation for their impending arrival at New Orleans' Moisant Field
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport
Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is a Class B public use international airport in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is owned by the City of New Orleans and is located 10 nautical miles west of its central business district. The airport's address is 900 Airline Drive...
, the pilots noticed areas of light to moderate precipitation in their path, depicted as green and yellow areas on their weather radar
Weather radar
Weather radar, also called weather surveillance radar and Doppler weather radar, is a type of radar used to locate precipitation, calculate its motion, estimate its type . Modern weather radars are mostly pulse-Doppler radars, capable of detecting the motion of rain droplets in addition to the...
, as well as "some isolated red cells" indicative of heavy precipitation to both sides of their intended flight path.
The flight entered clouds at FL 300 (30000 feet (9,144 m)), the crew selecting "continuous ignition" and turning on engine anti-ice to protect their turbofan engine
Turbofan
The turbofan is a type of airbreathing jet engine that is widely used for aircraft propulsion. A turbofan combines two types of engines, the turbo portion which is a conventional gas turbine engine, and the fan, a propeller-like ducted fan...
s from the effects of precipitation and icing
Atmospheric icing
Atmospheric icing occurs when water droplets in the atmosphere freeze on objects they contact. This can be extremely dangerous to aircraft, as the built-up ice changes the aerodynamics of the flight surfaces, which can increase the risk of a subsequent stalling of the airfoil...
, either of which is capable of causing a flameout
Flameout
A flameout refers to the failure of a jet engine caused by the extinction of the flame in the combustion chamber. It can be caused by a number of factors, including fuel exhaustion; compressor stall; insufficient oxygen supply; foreign object damage ; severe inclement weather; and mechanical...
, where the engines lose all power. Despite flying a route between the two areas of heavy precipitation shown on radar, they encountered heavy rain, hail
Hail
Hail is a form of solid precipitation. It consists of balls or irregular lumps of ice, each of which is referred to as a hail stone. Hail stones on Earth consist mostly of water ice and measure between and in diameter, with the larger stones coming from severe thunderstorms...
, and turbulence
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic and stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time...
. Passing through 16500 feet (5,029.2 m), both engines flamed out, leaving the jet gliding with neither engine thrust nor electrical power. The auxiliary power unit
Auxiliary power unit
An auxiliary power unit is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft, as well as some large land vehicles.-Function:...
(APU) was started as the plane descended through 10500 feet (3,200.4 m), restoring electrical power. While attempts to "windmill start" the engines using the airflow generated by the plane's descent were unsuccessful, the pilots were later able to start them using the engine starters which were powered by the APU. However, neither engine would accelerate to normal idle speed, much less to a point where it was producing meaningful thrust. Attempts to advance the throttles only resulted in overheating of the engines, so they were once more shut down to avoid catastrophic failure
Catastrophic failure
A catastrophic failure is a sudden and total failure of some system from which recovery is impossible. Catastrophic failures often lead to cascading systems failure....
. The pilots landed the airliner on a wide grass levee at NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
's Michoud Assembly Facility
Michoud Assembly Facility
The Michoud Assembly Facility is an 832-acre site owned by NASA and located in New Orleans East, a large district within the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Organizationally, it is part of NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center...
in the Michoud
Michoud, Louisiana
Michoud [MĒĒ-shū] is an area in Eastern New Orleans, part of the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana, located at latitude 30.03N, longitude -89.925W....
area of eastern New Orleans, bringing the airplane to a safe stop.
NTSB investigators determined that the aircraft had inadvertently flown into a level 4 thunderstorm
Thunderstorm
A thunderstorm, also known as an electrical storm, a lightning storm, thundershower or simply a storm is a form of weather characterized by the presence of lightning and its acoustic effect on the Earth's atmosphere known as thunder. The meteorologically assigned cloud type associated with the...
and that water ingestion had caused both engines to flame out despite their being certified as meeting Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(FAA) standards for water ingestion. The aircraft suffered mild hail damage, and its right-side (number 2) engine was damaged from overheating.
Initially, it was planned to remove the wings and transport the airplane to a repair facility by barge, but Boeing engineers and test pilots decided to perform an engine change on site and to take off from the adjacent paved access road. The 737 was flown to the Moisant Field where further maintenance work was performed. The plane was then returned to service.
The investigation concluded that the engines had failed "as a result of an inflight encounter with an area of very heavy rain and hail. A contributing cause of the incident was the inadequate design of the engines and that the FAA's water ingestion certification standards did not reflect the waterfall rates that can be expected in moderate or higher intensity thunderstorms."
Aircraft history
This airliner was the 1,505th Boeing 737 manufactured, and was owned by a previous operator before TACA acquired it in May 1988. The airframe is currently operated by Southwest AirlinesSouthwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
, and has been operated by six airlines (including TACA):
| Delivery date |
Owner or operator |
Tail number |
|---|---|---|
| 03/02/1988 | Polaris | N75356 |
| 05/10/1988 | TACA | |
| 10/30/1989 | Aviateca | |
| 16/04/1991 | America West Airlines | N319AW |
| 01/07/1993 | Morris Air | N764MA |
| 01/01/1995 | Southwest Airlines | N697SW |
| Source: AirFleets.net | ||