McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 N253AA

Summary

On 16 September 2004 at about 19:13 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 registered N253AA was involved in an incident near Chicago, Illinois, United States. 112 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

16 September 2004 at 19:13

Classification

Incident

Location

Chicago, Illinois, United States

Nearest airport

Chicago O'Hare Intl (ORD)

Coordinates

41.9786, -87.9047

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82

Registration

N253AA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chicago → Philadelphia

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04IA260

Nobody was injured.

An in-flight collision with a flock of birds during climb out after takeoff, which damaged the left engine fan module and ruptured a fuel line to the fuel-oil cooler causing an engine fire.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The domestic air carrier flight encountered a flock of birds during climb out after takeoff. The flight crew reported that they noticed the flock of birds too late to avoid them. The first officer, who was the pilot flying, stated: "The flock separated and passed on both sides of the aircraft. We felt and heard the impact. The left engine immediately seized and a fire warning ensued." The crew successfully extinguished the engine fire and returned to the departure airport for an emergency landing. Examination of the engine revealed that the fan module sustained damage during the event. The module rotated approximately 45-degrees which pulled the fuel line to the fuel/oil cooler loose. Observed fire damage was in the area of the fuel/oil cooler. A bird recovered from the debris path was identified as a double-crested cormorant. It was estimated to weigh 5 pounds intact. Examination of bird debris recovered from the engine confirmed that at least two birds were ingested.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.