 The aircraft involved in the incident | |
| Incident | |
|---|---|
| Date | January 4, 1990 |
| Summary | In-flight engine failure and subsequent loss of the engine |
| Site | near Madison, Florida, United States 30°38′N 83°24′W / 30.633°N 83.400°W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Boeing 727-251 |
| Operator | Northwest Airlines |
| Registration | N280US[1] |
| Flight origin | Miami International Airport |
| Destination | Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport |
| Occupants | 145 |
| Passengers | 139 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 145 |
Northwest Airlines Flight 5 was a flight from Miami International Airport to Minneapolis−Saint Paul International Airport, which, on January 4, 1990, suffered the loss of the number three (starboard) engine at 35,000 feet (11,000 m) in mid-flight over Madison, Florida.[2]
The Boeing 727-251, operated by Northwest Airlines, took off from Miami at 08:15 EST on the morning of January 4, 1990. About an hour later, at approximately 09:10 EST, the pilots reported hearing a loud bang towards the rear of the aircraft.[2] The 14-year-old jet continued to fly normally, and the crew, not knowing that an engine had fallen off,[3] flew for almost 50 minutes before carrying out a safe emergency landing at Tampa International Airport at 09:58 EST.[4] The engine, a Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15, was found a day later in a field near Madison, Florida.[4]
After landing, inspection crews found the forward lavatory external seal was missing and had probably been improperly installed, causing a leakage when the plane was pressurized. The missing seal caused frozen chunks of lavatory fluid to be ingested by the number three engine, thus damaging the compressor blades.[5] Upon failure, the engine separated from the aircraft fuselage, as it had been designed to do.[2]
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable cause of the incident to be "the failure of company service personnel to properly service the airplane forward lavatory."[5]
