Eastern Air Lines Flight 855
Nassau International Airport | |
Occupants | 172 |
---|---|
Passengers | 162 |
Crew | 10 |
Fatalities | 0 |
Injuries | 0 |
Survivors | 172 |
On May 5, 1983, a
Aircraft
The incident aircraft was a
Background
On May 4, N334EA had flown into Miami where it underwent overnight maintenance, which included a check of the magnetic chip detectors inside the jet engines. This involved removing the master chip detector from each engine and replacing it with a new one.[4] Each chip detector had two O-rings, which served as oil seals. The replacement chip detectors were not fitted with O-rings, a fact which was not noticed by the mechanic who fitted them. After the chip detectors were fitted, each engine was motored for 10 seconds to check for oil leaks. None were found. The aircraft was signed off as serviceable and returned to service.[5]
Incident
At 09:15, while descending through 15,000 feet (4,600 m), the low oil pressure indicator on the TriStar's
By this time, the plane was about 50 miles (80 km) from Nassau.[7] The crew elected to return to Miami to land. Flight 855 received a clearance back to Miami, as well as instructions to begin a climb to FL200 (20,000 ft (6,100 m) nominal altitude).[2]
En route back to Miami, low oil pressure lights for engines #1 and #3 illuminated,
Cause
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the incident was as follows:
[T]he omission of all the O-ring seals on the master chip detector assemblies leading to the loss of lubrication and damage to the airplane's three engines as a result of the failure of mechanics to follow the established and proper procedures for the installation of master chip detectors in the engine lubrication system, the repeated failure of supervisory personnel to require mechanics to comply strictly with the prescribed installation procedures, and the failure of Eastern Air Lines management to assess adequately the significance of similar previous occurrences and to act effectively to institute corrective action. Contributing to the cause of the incident was the failure of Federal Aviation Administration maintenance inspectors to assess the significance of the incidents involving master chip detectors and to take effective surveillance and enforcement measures to prevent the recurrence of the incidents.
— NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-84-04: Eastern Airlines, INC., Lockheed L-1011, N334EA
It was subsequently established that the engines needed to be run for at least 30 seconds with no O-rings fitted before an oil leak would become apparent.[8]
Awards
Barnes, Boddy and Thompson were each presented with an Award for Outstanding Airmanship by the
Aftermath
The aircraft, N334EA, was later repaired and returned to service. The aircraft would later fly for
References
- ^ Stewart 1992, pp. 27–28.
- ^ Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ Stewart 1992, p. 28.
- ^ Stewart 1992, pp. 27–29.
- ^ Stewart 1992, pp. 40–41.
- ^ a b "Summary for Aircraft Accident Report AAR-84-04: Eastern Airlines, INC., Lockheed L-1011, N334EA". National Transportation Safety Board. March 9, 1984. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Aircraft Accident Report: Eastern Airlines, INC., Lockheed L-1011, N334EA, Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, May 5, 1983" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. March 9, 1984. NTSB/AAR-84/04. Retrieved June 28, 2013.
- ^ Stewart 1992, p. 41.
- ^ Stewart 1992, p. 50.
- ^ "Tradewinds Airlines N826CR (Lockheed L-1011 TriStar - MSN 1141) (Ex N334EA N788DL ) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
Sources
- Stewart, Stanley (1992). Emergency, Crisis on the Flight Deck. Shrewsbury: Airlife. ISBN 1-85310-348-9.
External links
- Airliners.net Photos of Eastern Air Lines Lockheed L-1011-385-1 TriStar aircraft
- National Transportation Safety Board
- Final report - Copy at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
- Text version of final report – Prepared for World Wide Web usage by Hiroshi Sogame (十亀 洋 Sogame Hiroshi), a member of the Safety Promotion Committee (総合安全推進 Sōgō Anzen Suishin) of All Nippon Airways. (Archive)
- Final report - Copy at