Boeing 757-225 N603AU

Summary

On 11 December 1996 at about 19:38 local time, a Boeing 757-225 registered N603AU, operated by Usair, was involved in an incident near Terre Haute, Indiana, United States. 184 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 December 1996 at 19:38

Classification

Incident

Location

Terre Haute, Indiana, United States

Coordinates

39.4701, -87.3799

Aircraft

Boeing 757-225

Registration

N603AU

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Usair

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Phoenix → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI97IA041

Nobody was injured.

inadequate installation of electrical wiring for an audio entertainment system associated with Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA5537NM, and a subsequent short in the wiring. Factors relating to the accident were: inadequate design (installation instructions) by the STC holder (Hughes-Avicom International), and inadequate maintenance by company maintenance personnel.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Before departing on a scheduled passenger flight, a flight attendant noticed an electrical odor in the airplane's rear section. She advised the first officer, who consulted a mechanic. The mechanic found nothing wrong, and the flight departed a short time later. While en route, a flight attendant reported an electrical odor in the same area. After an investigation by the captain, the odor diminished, and the rear cabin temperature was lowered. Shortly after this action, smoke and fire were visible in the floor and side wall area. The captain declared an emergency and diverted to an alternate airport. During approach to the airport, the fire was extinguished, then an uneventful landing was made. Examination of the burned area revealed an audio-entertainment system cable had become shorted. Burning had resulted in minor damage to the airplane. Further investigation revealed that the cable had not been properly installed, and that the STC did not provide specific instructions for cable routing, except that it should be placed under a seat rail cover.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.