McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 N9617R
26 December 2008 · Los Angeles Intl Airport, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 26 December 2008 at about 16:59 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 registered N9617R, operated by American Airlines Inc, was involved in an accident near Los Angeles Intl Airport, California, United States. 129 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.
The record
- Date
- at 16:59
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Los Angeles Intl Airport, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Los Angeles Intl Airport (LAX)
- Coordinates
- 33.9498, -118.3997
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83
- Registration
- N9617R
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- American Airlines Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Los Angeles Intl Airport → Dallas/Ft Worth
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DCA09FA022
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 129 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 129 |
Probable cause
The first officer's unannounced advancement of the left engine throttle, which led to a sustained application of high thrust that caused the airplane to impact the tug.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The first officer indicated that he advanced the left engine throttle during the airplane's taxi in order to clear what he suspected was a stuck bleed air valve. Although he suspected that he had only moved the throttle "about an inch", FDR data revealed it had been advanced to and remained at an extremely high power setting for approximately 28 seconds. This action, which occurred without the knowledge of the captain or the tug operator and without application of the parking brakes, resulted in a substantial increase in thrust that overwhelmed the tug's resistance until the airplane impacted the tug.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other McDonnell Douglas DC-9 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Dec 2008 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-50 | Madison, Wisconsin, United States | Northwest Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jul 2008 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15 | Saltillo, Mexico | USA Jet Airlines Inc | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Apr 2008 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 | Goma, Congo | Hewa Bora | Fatal | 3 |
| 28 Sep 2007 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) | St. Louis, Missouri, United States | American Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 29 Mar 2007 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 (MD-83) | Sanford, Florida, United States | Allegiant Air LLC | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 Dec 2007 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-83 | Ontario, California, United States | Alaska Airlines, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 Apr 2008 | Cessna 172S | San Luis Obispo, California, United States | Pacific Aerocademy | No injuries | - |
| 20 Aug 2008 | Cessna TU206G | Groveland, California, United States | Charles D Hartwell | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 2008 | Piper PA 28-180 | Sonoma, California, United States | Timothy Bennett | No injuries | - |
| 6 May 2008 | Cessna 152 | Redding, California, United States | Kenneth A Tyler | No injuries | - |
| 17 Dec 2008 | Kaman K-1200 | Santa Clarita, California, United States | Superior Leasing LLC | Fatal | - |
| 26 Jul 2008 | Ercoupe 415-C | Corona, California, United States | Herbert Guiness | No injuries | - |