8 June 1995 - Valujet 597 On June 8, 1995, a Douglas DC-9-32, N908VJ, was being operated by ValuJet Airlines as a scheduled, domestic passenger flight under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121. Flight 597, destined for Miami, Florida, departed gate C25 at the William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia, at 1855, and was cleared for takeoff on runway 27R at 1908. Five crewmembers and 57 passengers were on board.
As flight 597 began its takeoff roll, a "loud bang" was heard by the airplane occupants and air traffic control personnel. The right engine fire warning light illuminated, the flightcrew of a following airplane reported to the ValuJet crew that the right engine was on fire, and the takeoff was rejected. Shrapnel from the right engine penetrated the fuselage and the right engine main fuel line, and a cabin fire erupted. The airplane was stopped on the runway, and the captain ordered the evacuation of the airplane.
The flight attendant seated in the aft flight attendant jumpseat received serious puncture wounds from shrapnel and thermal injuries. Another flight attendant and five passengers received minor injuries. The pilots, the third flight attendant, and 52 passengers were not injured. The airplane's fuselage was destroyed.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of Turk Hava Yollari maintenance and inspection personnel to perform a proper inspection of a 7th stage high compressor disk, thus allowing the detectable crack to grow to a length at which the disk ruptured, under normal operating conditions, propelling engine fragments into the fuselage; the fragments severed the right engine main fuel line, which resulted in a fire that rapidly engulfed the cabin area. The lack of an adequate recordkeeping system and the failure to use "process sheets" to document the step-by-step overhaul/inspection procedures contributed
to the failure to detect the crack and, thus, to the accident.
Download the full NTSB report
Transcript of the Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR)
Legenda:
RDO: Radio transmission from accident aircraft
CAM: Cockpit area microphone voice or sound source
INT: Transmissions over aircraft interphone system
ATIS: Radio transmission from Atlanta Departure ATIS
GND: Transmission received from Atlanta south ground control
TWR: Transmission received from Atlanta tower
PA: Transmission made over airacraft public address system
CLR: Radio transmission from Atlanta clearance delivery
TR-?: Radio transmission from unidentified aircraft
-1: Voice identified as Pilot-in-Command (PIC)
-2: Voice identified as Co-Pilot
-3: Voice identified as 1st female Flight Attendant
-4: Voice identified as 2nd female Flight Attendant
-5: Voice identified as female ground agent
-6: Voice identified as male ground agent
-?: Voice unidentified
*: Unintelligible word
@: Non pertinent word
#: Expletive
%: Break in continuity
( ): Questionable insertion
[ ]: Editorial insertion
....: Pause
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1902: 25
{25: 20}RDO- 2 Atlanta ground, Critter five ninety seven approaching four south with Tango. 1902: 31
{25: 26}GND Critter five ninety seven Atlanta ground, taxi to runway two seven right via Mike. 1902: 34
{25: 29}RDO- 2 two seven right via Mike, Critter five ninety seven. 1902: 42
{25: 37}CAM- 1 flaps five *** check list. 1902: 43
{25: 38}CAM- 2 flaps five. 1902: 56
{25: 51}CAM- 2 data and bugs? 1902: 57
{25: 52}CAM- 1 alright I see *** do you agree? 1903: 49
{26: 44}CAM- 2 trim controls? 1903: 51
{26: 46}CAM- 1 set and, 1903: 55
{26: 50}CAM [sound similar to stabilizer trim in motion] 1904: 15
{27: 10}CAM- 1 set and six. 1904: 18
{27: 13}CAM [unintelligible conversation between pilot and flight attendant] 1904: 45
{27: 40}CAM- 1 looks like we're gonna get right outta here. 1904: 50
{27: 45}CAM- 1 five flaps, one thirty uh, ten thousand feet, heading whatever they give us, * nine five. 1905: 22
{28: 17}CAM [several unintelligible comments between pilots] 1905: 45
{28: 40}CAM- 2 hey Meg. 1905: 50
{28: 45}CAM- 3 what, yes sir. 1905: 51
{28: 46}CAM- 2 * the mark of a true faithful if you can keep talking like that. 1906: 02
{28: 57}TWR Critter five ninety seven Atlanta tower runway two seven right, taxi into position and hold. 1906: 04
{28: 59}RDO- 2 position and hold two seven right, Critter five ninety seven. 1906: 09
{29: 04}PA- 2 flight attendants take your seats for departure. 1906: 21
{29: 16}CAM- 2 anti- skid? 1906: 22
{29: 17}CAM- 1 yep. 1906: 29
{29: 24}CAM- 2 cockpit door? locked. 1906: 30
{29: 25}CAM- 2 ignition? on. 1906: 30
{29: 25}CAM- 2 APU? off. 1906: 31
{29: 26}CAM- 2 flight attendant signal? given. 1906: 32
{29: 27}CAM- 2 anti- skid? is armed. 1906: 33
{29: 28}CAM- 2 TCAS transponder? TA RA. 1906: 34
{29: 29}CAM- 2 pneumatic cross- feeds? closed. 1906: 35
{29: 30}CAM- 2 annunciator panel? checked. 1906: 36
{29: 31}CAM- 2 takeoff briefing? accomplished. before takeoff checklist complete. 1907: 34
{30: 29}TWR Critter five ninety seven middle marker turn left heading two five zero, runway two seven right, cleared for takeoff. 1907: 39
{30: 34}RDO- 2 two five zero at the marker, cleared for takeoff two seven right, Critter five ninety seven. 1907: 45
{30: 40}CAM [sound similar to increase in engine RPM] 1907: 54
{30: 49}CAM-? * here * . 1907: 58
{30: 53}CAM [one second interruption in CVR audio] 1907: 58
{30: 53}CAM [repetitive thumping sounds lasting for three seconds] 1908: 00
{30: 55}TR-? ValuJet rolling on the runway you got a fire in the right engine. 1908: 02
{30: 57RDO- 2 Critter five ninety seven understand we have a fire in the right engine. we'll be stopping here on the runway. 1908: 06
{31: 01}TWR five ninety seven roger, do you need the equipment? 1908:08
{31:03}CAM-3 **. 1908:08
{31:03}CAM-1 OK. 1908:09
{31:04}CAM-1 yes, roll the equipment. 1908:10
{31:05}RDO-2 affirmative, roll the equipment, roll the equipment. 1908:10
{31:05}CAM [sound of commotion from passenger cabin] 1908:15
{31:10}PA-3 flight attendant, ladies and gentlemen, please wait until the plane comes, ladies. 1908:20
{31:15}CAM [sound similar to engine decreasing in RPM] 1908:21
{31:16}END of RECORDING
END of TRANSCRIPT
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