Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Dayton, Ohio 45433
Thursday, November 7, 1996 20:15 EST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
While en route the flight crew experienced a failure of the pitch trim control system. The crew was unable to change the pitch trim by the yoke mounted trim switches or the center console mounted horizontal stabilizer control handles. The crew stated that when the slats were extended on descent, they were unable to change stabilizer trim. Subsequent examination of the horizontal stabilizer pitch trim system found that there was no lubrication on the screw actuator assemblies and that the fuse pin had sheared in the output drive unit of the horizontal stabilizer drive gearbox. The sheared fuse pin locked the horizontal stabilizer in its last set position, as designed. A review of Assembly Orders at Douglas Aircraft (DAC) found that DAC production personnel and DAC Inspection personnel stamped the assembly orders indicating completion and acceptance of the lubrication. However, the investigation revealed that no lubrication had been applied to the screw actuator nuts.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
Failure of the output drive unit shear pin due to lack of lubrication to the screw actuator assemblies. Contributing to the cause was the aircraft manufacturer's production and inspection personnel failing to lubricate the screw assemblies after initial installation and again after washing.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Incident |
| Event Date | 11/7/1996 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 2015 |
| Event Time Zone | Eastern Standard Time |
| Event City | DAYTON |
| Event State | OHIO |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 45433 |
| Event Date Year | 1996 |
| Event Date Month | 11 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | -- |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 825 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Unknown |
| Time of the weather observation | 0 |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 0 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 0 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 0 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Unknown |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Unknown |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -- |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -- |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 0 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 0 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | None |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | -- |
| Injury Total None | 209 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | -- |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 5046 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | Nov 8 1996 12:00AM |
| NTSB Notification Time | 840 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | IMAGE |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 8 2000 10:27AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Basic weather conditions | Unknown |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N814DE |
| NTSB Number | IAD97IA018 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | N |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 121: Air Carrier |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | IFR |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | -- |
| Damage | None |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | McDonnell Douglas |
| Aircraft Model | MD-11 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | MD-11 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 48623 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 625500 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | U.S. Registered/U.S. Soil |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | No |
| Flight Crew Seats | -- |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | -- |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 280 |
| Number of Engines | 3 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Continuous Airworthiness |
| Date of Last Inspection | Sep 14 1996 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 550 |
| Airframe Hours | 550 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | DELTA AIR LINES, INC. |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | HARTSFIELD-ATLANTA INTL ARPT |
| Aircraft Owner City | ATLANTA |
| Aircraft Owner State | GA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 30320 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | |
| Operator City | |
| Operator State | |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | |
| Operator Code | DALA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | Yes |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | Unknown |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | Scheduled |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | International |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger/Cargo |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | LGW |
| Departure City | GATWICK |
| Departure State | UK |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 600 |
| Departure Time Zone | EST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | CVG |
| Destination City | CINCINNATI |
| Destination State | OH |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Cruise |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Jan 2 2001 10:30AM |
| User who most recently changed record | dbo |
| Since inspection or accident | -- |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | 23 |
| Runway Length | 12600 |
| Runway Width | 300 |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |