NTSB Identification: CHI93LA043
Scheduled 14 CFR operation of DELTA AIRLINES
Accident occurred Friday, November 27, 1992 in CHICAGO, IL
Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/15/1993
Aircraft: BOEING 727-232, registration: N401DA
Injuries: 1 Serious,5 Minor,118 Uninjured.
NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.THE FLIGHT HAD ARRIVED AT THE JETWAY AND THE PASSENGERS WERE BEGINNING TO DEPLANE. BEFORE EXTERNAL GROUND POWER WAS SUPPLIED TO THE AIRPLANE, THE CAPT PREMATURELY SHUT DOWN THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE WHICH WAS SUPPLYING ELECTRICAL POWER TO THE CABIN. WHEN THE ENGINE WAS SHUT DOWN, THE MAIN CABIN LIGHTS WENT OUT, FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY THE ILLUMINATION OF THE BATTERY-POWERED EMERGENCY FLOOR LIGHTS. THE FLIGHT ENGINEER ANNOUNCED TO THE CAPT THAT HE WAS STARTING THE AUXILIARY POWER UNIT (APU). AS HE STARTED THE APU, AN EXHAUST FLAME MOMENTARILY CAME OUT FROM THE APU EXHAUST PIPE LOCATED NEAR THE TOP OF THE RIGHT WING ROOT. SOME PASSENGERS YELLED 'FIRE' AND BEGAN AN UNCOMMANDED EVACUATION THROUGH THE OVERWING EXITS. CREW MEMBERS WERE ABLE TO STOP THE EVAUCATION, BUT NOT BEFORE SEVERAL PASSENGERS HAD JUMPED OFF THE WINGS AND INCURRED INJURIES.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident to be:
THE CAPTAIN'S INADEQUATE COORDINATION WITH THE GROUND AND FLIGHT CREW. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE PASSENGER'S PERCEPTION THAT THE APU EXHAUST WAS A FIRE, WHICH RESULTED IN ACTION THAT INITIATED AN EVACUATION. Index for Nov1992 | Index of months