McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 N564PC

Summary

On 21 November 1997 at about 15:30 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 registered N564PC was involved in an accident near Syracuse, New York, United States. 2 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

21 November 1997 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Syracuse, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Syracuse Hancock Int'l (SYR)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15

Registration

N564PC

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Positioning

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Ypsilanti

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI98LA053

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's inadequate preflight to ensure that the cargo pallets were properly secured. Also causal was the the improper securing of the pallets.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The captain reported the airplane was empty except for the six cargo deck pallets that had been stacked at the 'B' position (toward the front end of the cargo deck) instead of being spread out and secured over the cargo deck floor. When power for takeoff was applied, the cargo pallets shifted and impacted the aft bulkhead. The takeoff was aborted. The pilots visually inspected the damage to the aft bulkhead and concluded that no damage had been done to the airplane. The cargo pallets were secured to the cargo deck. The pilots re-filed the flight plan and continued with the positioning flight. An inspection revealed substantial damage to the airplane. The company's aviation mechanic had told the cargo handlers to stack the pallets instead of spreading them out and securing them to the floor. The six pallets that fit on the cargo deck floor corresponded to the six pallet positions A - F. The cargo handlers strapped five of the pallets together with cargo straps and placed them on the pallet which was secured in the 'B' position. The five cargo pallets were not secured to the pallet in the B position. The pallet jack was secured on top of the five pallets by cargo straps.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.