ValuJet 592

Minutes after takeoff, the pilots of the DC-9 reported smoke in the cabin and requested a return to Miami International Airport. The plane then dropped off radar and into the Everglades, killing all 110 people aboard. It was among the worst air disasters in Florida’s history. 

What investigators knew was that the plane had been destroyed in midair by a massive on-board fire. When investigators finished their job, they believed they had the cause. Canisters which generated oxygen for the plane’s emergency systems, apparently improperly stored and loaded aboard the plane, ignited and caused tires in the hold to blaze.

The improper handling of the canisters, which used a chemical reaction to produce oxygen and in the process, generated heat, was blamed on SabreTech, a ValuJet subcontractor. Something caused a canister to spark about 6 minutes into the flight, torching the tires upon which the box had been placed.  The cabin was filled with smoke, control cables were burned, and the doomed plane plunged to its death (CBS Miami, 2014).

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the probable cause of the accident resulted from a fire in the Class D cargo compartment initiated by the actuation of one or more oxygen canisters improperly carried as cargo, the failure of SabreTech to properly prepare, package, and identify chemical oxygen generators presenting them to ValuJet for transportation, and the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to require smoke detection in Cass D cargo space.  Additional factors were found that ValuJet and its subcontractors failed to ensure knowledge that ValuJet had a no carry policy for hazardous cargo (NTSB, 1996).



Here is the National Geographic documentary on the crash.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WoA2GgHntA

CBS Miami. (2014). Doomed ValuJet Flight 592 killed all, 16 years ago today. Retrieved from: http://miami.cbslocal.com/2012/05/11/doomed-valujet-flight-592-killed-all-16-years-ago-today/

NTSB. (1996) In-Flight Fire and Impact with Terrain Valujet Airlines Flight 592. Retrieved from: https://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/1997/AAR9706.pdf

     I will be discussing again the crash of National Air Cargo 747 at Bagram AB Afghanistan once again.  I am doing so due to the fact I have been approached to be an expert consultant on the incident due to my prior military qualifications and my civilian 747 qualifications.  I was advised not to be involved by my existing employers due to possible contract issues with our customer.  I have looked into this specific crash extensively and have read numerous articles and posts about it.  This video was in the days immediately after the crash and even then the experts brought up the significance of possible cargo shifting in flight.  Amongst the Loadmasters and pilots I work and associate with, we felt it was either a flight control issue or a cargo shift due to how immediate the change in flight characteristics we all are used to seeing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVL8RifMQ-s

Emery Crash at Mather AFB

An Emery Worldwide cargo plane crashed into an auto salvage yard after taking off from a Sacramento-area airport, killing all three crew members aboard.  The crash of the DC-8 transport service plane created a spectacular series of explosions as more than 100 cars burst into flames.  The plane took off from the former Mather Air Force Base at 7:52 p.m. 17 Feb, 2000 bound for Dayton, Ohio.

Shortly after takeoff, the pilot called the airfield's departure control and reported a problem.  "Right before the crash, the pilot said the plane had a center of gravity problem".   There was some kind of imbalance and he was having problems controlling the aircraft. On a plane like this, you load the cargo so the weight is distributed.   Capt. Dan Haverty of the American River Fire Department said the pilot informed departure control that he had a problem with "unsettled cargo."  The plane was carrying automatic transmission fluid, clothing and small amounts of "detonating explosives," Haverty said (Corwin & Warren, 2014). 

The post-crash investigation actually found that a maintenance issue was the cause of the crash.  The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was a loss of pitch control resulting from the disconnection of the right elevator control tab. The disconnection was caused by the failure to properly secure and inspect the attachment bolt (fss.aero, 2014).

Corwin, M & Warren, J. (2014). Cargo plane crashes outside Sacramento, killing 3. Retrieved from: http://articles.latimes.com/2000/feb/17/news/mn-65402

fss.aero. (2014). Loss of Pitch Control on Takeoff, Emery Worldwide Airlines, Flight 17, McDonnell Douglas DC-8-71F, N8079U, Rancho Cordova, California, February 16, 2000. Retrieved from: http://www.fss.aero/accident-reports/look.php?report_key=25

Air Detective (AD) Tip 14

    

     The United Parcel Service 747 crash at Minhad AB Dubai, was a crash that was induced due to the fact a fire in the cargo area

created an environment that the crew could not effectively control and operate the aircraft in.  Smoke in the cockpit and an inability to 

maintain altitude forced a UPS Boeing 747-400 crew to attempt a return to Dubai before the aircraft crashed near the airport, killing

both pilots (Kaminski-Morrow, 2014).  This flight was a total loss but through the process of AD 14 was used to find the probable

cause through its process.  The investigators were able to deduct they had smoke in the cockpit from their communications with Air

Traffic Control.  They were able to determine from the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) that the Co-pilot went to the cargo area to

investigate and potential put any fire out.  There were no declared shipments of hazardous materials onboard the airplane.  However, at

least three of the shipments contained lithium ion battery packs that met the Class 9 hazardous material criteria, according to the report

(Ranter, 2014).  this was determined through their investigation that the lithium batteries were the likely cause.  This was an entirely

difficult investigation for determination in that their was an all consuming fire when the aircraft impacted the ground.  Lithium batteries

have been suspect in many aircraft incidents in the past and are now a concern for hazardous shipments.

Kaminski-Morrow, D. (2014). Crashed UPS 747 had smoke in cockpit. Retrieved from: http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/crashed-ups-747-had-smoke-in-cockpit-347002/

Rantor, H. (2014). Report on UPS B747F in-flight fire accident: captain likely incapacitated. Retrieved from: http://news.aviation-safety.net/2011/04/05/report-on-ups-b747f-in-flight-fire-accident-captain-likely-incapacitated/