Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Des Moines International Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Des Moines, Iowa 50321
Thursday, January 3, 1991 19:30 CST
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
THE AIRPLANE WAS TAXIING TO ITS ASSIGNED GATE AFTER LANDING WHEN A FLIGHT ATTENDENT INFORMED THE CAPTAIN THAT THERE WAS A FIRE IN THE REAR OF THE AIRPLANE. THE CAPTAIN IMMEDIATELY STOPPED AND THE PASSENGERS WERE DEPLANNED USING THE COMPANY'S EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES. A FLIGHT ATTENDENT AND ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES DURING THE EVACUATION PROCESS. NINETH-SIX PASSENGERS AND SIX OTHER AIRPLANE CREWMEMBERS DID NOT RECEIVE INJURIES. A FIRE WAS NOT PRESENT, SMOKE HAD BEEN FILLING THE PASSENGER CABIN. THE SMOKE CAME FROM THE AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING SYSTEM DUCTS. THE SMOKE WAS A RESULT OF AN OIL LEAK IN THE AIRCRAFT POWER UNIT (APU) WHICH ENTERED THE APU DUCT WORK, THE AIR CONDITIONING PACKS AND ASSOCIATED CIRCULATION DUCTING. WHEN A CERTAIN HEAT RANGE HAD BEEN SELECTED THE OIL LADEN AIR WOULD CHANGE INTO SMOKE AS IT EXITED THE CABIN HEAT DUCT OPENING.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
AN OIL LEAK ORIGINATING FROM THE AUXILIARY POWER UNIT WHICH CREATED SMOKE IN THE PASSENGER CABIN AFTER IT PASSED THROUGH THE AIR CONDITIONING/HEATING SYSTEM EQUIPMENT AND ASSOCIATED DUCT WORK.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Incident |
| Event Date | 1/3/1991 |
| Event Day of the Week | Thursday |
| Time of Event | 1930 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Standard Time |
| Event City | DES MOINES |
| Event State | IOWA |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 50321 |
| Event Date Year | 1991 |
| Event Date Month | 1 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | |
| Event Location Longitude | |
| Event Location Airport | DES MOINES INTERNATIONAL |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | DSM |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Unknown |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 0 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | 0 |
| Airport Elevation | 0 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | Not pertinent |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1905 Central Standard Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 1 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | DSM |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 957 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 1 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CST |
| Lighting Conditions | Night/Dark |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 0 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 25000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | Thin Broken |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | None |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | 0 |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | 0 |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 20 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | -18 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | -18 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 240 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 5 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Unknown |
| Wind Gust (knots) | 0 |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | -- |
| Density Altitude (feet) | 0 |
| Intensity of Precipitation | Unknown |
| METAR weather report | -- |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 0 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | 0 |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 2 |
| Injury Total None | 102 |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 2 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 5053 |
| NTSB Notification Source | -- |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | 0 |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | 43040 |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 18 2002 11:28AM |
| User who most recently changed record | NTSB\GIUV |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N6821 |
| NTSB Number | CHI91IA058 |
| 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 | BOEING |
| Aircraft Model | B727-223 |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | B727-223 |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 19496 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 12500 |
| 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 | 134 |
| Number of Engines | 3 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Retractable |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Unknown |
| Date of Last Inspection | -- |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | 0 |
| Airframe Hours | -- |
| ELT Installed | Unknown |
| ELT Activated | Unknown |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | Unknown |
| ELT Type | -- |
| Aircraft Owner Name | WILMINGTON TRUST CO. - TRUSTEE |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | |
| Aircraft Owner City | WILMINGTON |
| Aircraft Owner State | PA |
| Aircraft Owner Country | |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 19890 |
| Operator is an individual? | -- |
| Operator Name | AMERICAN AIRLINES, INC. |
| Operator Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | No |
| Operator Street Address | P.O. BOX 619616 |
| Operator City | DALLAS/AIRPORT |
| Operator State | TX |
| Operator Country | |
| Operator Zip code | 75261 |
| Operator Code | AALA |
| Owner has at least one certificate | Yes - certificate holder |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| 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 | Domestic |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | Passenger Only |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Unknown |
| Second Pilot on Board | Yes |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | DFW |
| Departure City | DALLAS/FT.WORTH |
| Departure State | TX |
| Departure Country | |
| Departure Time | 1600 |
| Departure Time Zone | CST |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | crash at destination city |
| Destination Airport Code | |
| Destination City | |
| Destination State | |
| Destination Country | |
| Specific Phase of Flight | Taxi |
| 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 | 7 |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |