At 1044 P.s.t. February 8, 1976, Mercer Airlines Flight 901 crashed while attempting an emergency landing on runway 34L at the Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, California. The No. 3 engine had separated from the aircraft during takeoff from runway 15 at the Hollywood-Burbank Airport, Burbank, California; the No. 2 engine failed while en route from Burbank to Van Nuys. The aircraft crashed on a golf course about 1 mile short of the threshold of runway 34L at Van Nuys. Of the six persons on board the aircraft, three flightcrew members were killed; two flight attendants and a nonrevenue company employee were injured slightly. One person on the ground was injured slightly. During a postaccident fire, ten firemen were burned; three, seriously. The aircraft was destroyed. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the degraded performance of the aircraft after two engines failed. The dual failure was precipitated by the in-flight failure of the No. 1 blade of the No. 3 propeller assembly. The failure of the propeller blade resulted from a fatigue crack which originated in the leading edge under the deicer boot. The crack had not been detected during an improperly performed overhaul.
Mercer Airlines, Inc., Douglas DC-6/YC-112A, N901MA Near Van Nuys Airport, Van Nuys, California, February 8, 1976
1976
44 pages
Report
No indication
English
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