Summary
On March 17, 1989, a Boeing 737-300 (N12318) was involved in an incident near Oakland, CA. All 69 people aboard were uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this incident to be: IGNITION OF PUDDLED FUEL FROM A BLOCKED COMBUSTOR DRAIN LINE, AND A SLOW START DURING WHICH FUEL WAS MISTED AND BLOWN OUT THE TAIL PIPE. AN EXISTING TAILWIND AT THE GATE ALLOWED THE FUEL TO WET THE TAIL SURFACES AND BE IGNITED DURING THE APU START. THE OPERATOR CONFIRMED USING RTV MATERIAL IN THE APU BUILDUP PROCESS AT THEIR FACILITY.
This incident is documented in NTSB report DCA89MA034. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N12318.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
IGNITION OF PUDDLED FUEL FROM A BLOCKED COMBUSTOR DRAIN LINE, AND A SLOW START DURING WHICH FUEL WAS MISTED AND BLOWN OUT THE TAIL PIPE. AN EXISTING TAILWIND AT THE GATE ALLOWED THE FUEL TO WET THE TAIL SURFACES AND BE IGNITED DURING THE APU START. THE OPERATOR CONFIRMED USING RTV MATERIAL IN THE APU BUILDUP PROCESS AT THEIR FACILITY.
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# DCA89MA034