Summary
On January 31, 1990, a Douglas DC-9-31 (N8978E) was involved in an accident near Louisville, KY. The accident resulted in 2 minor injuries, with 71 people uninjured out of 73 aboard. The aircraft sustained minor damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: THE DISABLING OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TORQUE LINK WHICH ALLOWED THE TRUCK TO ROTATE FREELY. THE TORQUE LINK WAS DISABLED WHEN EXCESSIVE VIBRATION WAS GENERATED BY EXCESSIVE PLAY OF THE TORQUE LINK PINS IN THEIR BUSHINGS.
This accident is documented in NTSB report ATL90IA060. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N8978E.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE DISABLING OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR TORQUE LINK WHICH ALLOWED THE TRUCK TO ROTATE FREELY. THE TORQUE LINK WAS DISABLED WHEN EXCESSIVE VIBRATION WAS GENERATED BY EXCESSIVE PLAY OF THE TORQUE LINK PINS IN THEIR BUSHINGS.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# ATL90IA060