Accident · 2006-04-04
What the record says
- Event date
- 2006-04-04
- Event type
- Accident
- Highest injury level
- No injuries
- Aircraft
- MCDONNELL DOUGLAS DC10 (N386FE)
- Operating rule
- Part 121
- Operator
- FedEx Express Operator named in NTSB report
- Operated by (per NTSB report)
- FEDEX EXPRESS
Probable cause
The rupture of a fatigue crack in the forward air seal tooth serration of the No. 3 engine low pressure turbine stage 1 disk that initiated due to an improper weld repair performed during original manufacture. The improper weld repair changed the material properties of the disk near the weld feature, resulting in an accelerated crack propagation rate that allowed the crack to grow to rupture before the next inspection interval. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the inability of the flight crew to shutdown the engine as a result of the damage caused by a liberated piece of the low pressure turbine stage 1 disk when it punctured the right wing.
Source: NTSB case DCA06FA033Flight crew
Flight-crew details for this event aren't in the NTSB database extract we hold (its coverage starts with 2008 events) — a gap in our data, not an absence of crew.
Facts as the NTSB records them — GroundCheck adds no judgement. Preliminary records may be revised as the investigation proceeds.