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Cases › DCA09IA014 › The analyst

BOEING 777Delta Air Lines

What the docket says, assembled. No language model is involved, so nothing on this page can be invented — every line traces to a recorder, a report page or the Board's own record.

5
timed facts
8
precedents
13
passages to ask

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passages, not paraphrases
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Every answer is a passage of the docket with the page it came from, or the words “not in the docket”. Nothing is summarised or reasoned for you — read the source.

One timeline

5 timed factsthe recorder events from the FDR report, with the transcript's warnings, callouts, the words nearest each event and the final seconds — on one clock, as printed in each report
  1. about 09:00 UTCFDRtakeoffp.3
    Takeoff from Shanghai Pudong; several cruise altitudes over the following hours
    see the traces at this moment ↗
  2. 15:17 UTCFDRcruisep.3
    Climbed to 35,000 ft and cruised there for over 3 hours
    see the traces at this moment ↗
  3. 18:30 UTCFDRclimbp.3
    Brief climb to 37,000 ft then level at 39,000 ft; during the climb to 37,000 ft the right engine oil temperature began to rise and diverge from the left engine
    see the traces at this moment ↗
  4. about 19:25 UTCFDRcruisep.3
    After about 45 minutes at 39,000 ft the engine thrust values diverged: thrust levers increased, the left engine EPR followed but the right engine EPR did not; QAR fuel metering valve select and demand increased for both engines; the right engine loop-in-control parameter began cyclically oscillating between values
    see the traces at this moment ↗
  5. 19:51 UTCFDRdescentp.3
    Thrust levers retarded and the aircraft began a descent; during the descent the left throttle lever rose to 85% then decreased, followed by the right; engine values were consistent with each other and with commands for the rest of the flight
    see the traces at this moment ↗
Recorder events without a clock time
  • after descentLeveled at 31,000 ft for a little under 2 hours, then descended and landed at Atlanta at 22:13 UTC
Flight Data Recorder 10 - Factual Report of Specialist · 6 events extracted by claude-fable-5-1 (in-session)
How the Board coded the sequence
  1. Enroute-cruise: Loss of engine power (partial)

Precedents

8 closest casesranked by what happened, in the Board's words, and by the findings and occurrences it coded
  • ENG18IA0032017-11-07no fatalitiesmatch 58
    AIRBUS A330-243 · Hawaiian Airlines
    Seattle, WA
    • ●Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control
    • ●Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids
    Loss of engine power (partial)
  • ENG11IA0162011-02-09no fatalitiesmatch 52
    BOEING 757-2Q8 · DELTA AIR LINES INC
    Minneapolis, MN
    • ●Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control
  • DCA22LA1792022-07-07no fatalitiesmatch 50
    BOEING 767-332 · DELTA AIR LINES INC
    New York, NY
    • ●Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids
  • DCA21FA1742021-07-02destroyedmatch 49
    BOEING 737-275C · RHOADES AVIATION INC
    Honolulu, HI
    Loss of engine power (partial)
  • ENG17IA0362017-09-06no fatalitiesmatch 48
    BOEING 757 232 · Delta Air Lines
    Las Vegas, NV
    • ●Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control
  • DCA25LA0842025-01-10no fatalitiesmatch 47
    BOEING 757 · DELTA AIR LINES INC
    Atlanta, GA
    Loss of engine power (partial)
  • ENG12IA0102012-02-08no fatalitiesmatch 47
    BOEING 767 · American Airlines
    Jamaica, NY
    • ●Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control
  • ENG09IA0072009-06-10no fatalitiesmatch 46
    BOEING 757-222 · UNITED AIR LINES INC
    Denver, CO
    • ●Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control

What the record says

a pattern, not a findingacross the 8 closest cases · 8 carry coded findings · 8 have a probable cause
Findings the Board cited in those cases
Occurrences it coded
  • 5 of 8Fire/smoke (non-impact)
  • 3 of 8Loss of engine power (partial)
  • 2 of 8Flight control sys malf/fail
  • 2 of 8Powerplant sys/comp malf/fail
Set against the Board’s own findings for this case
Cited here, and common in the precedents
  • Aircraft power plant › Engine fuel and control
  • Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids
Cited here, not seen in the precedents
  • Development › Selection/certification/testing
Common in the precedents, not cited here
  • —

A teaching device, not a verdict: what the record would have looked at, next to what the Board found.

In the Board’s words — the closest cases
  • ENG18IA0032017-11-07 · AIRBUS A330-243 · Hawaiian Airlines
    The loss of control of the left-hand engine and the subsequent thermal damage to the left wing on landing during engine reverse operation was due to a blockage of the variable stator vane torque motor filter that resulted in the engine’s electronic engine control to improper schedule maximum fuel flow resulting in flames out the engine’s exhaust tailpipe that impinged the wing. Contributing to the event were: - The presence of water containing dissolved aluminum sulfate (alum) in the airplane fuel system that in…
  • ENG11IA0162011-02-09 · BOEING 757-2Q8 · DELTA AIR LINES INC
    the failure of the right engine's fuel control unit to operate correctly when the fuel metering valve became frozen in the full open position because of corrosion on the fuel metering valve slide and sleeve, which caused the engine to be overfueled during engine start and resulted in a tailpipe fire.
  • DCA22LA1792022-07-07 · BOEING 767-332 · DELTA AIR LINES INC
    The failure of maintenance personnel to close the drain mast heater circuit breakers which resulted in the formation of ice in the forward drain mast, an improper flow of wastewater into the main landing gear wheel well, and the formation of ice on one or more aileron system components.
  • DCA21FA1742021-07-02 · BOEING 737-275C · RHOADES AVIATION INC
    The flight crewmembers’ misidentification of the damaged engine (after leveling off the airplane and reducing thrust) and their use of only the damaged engine for thrust during the remainder of the flight, resulting in an unintentional descent and forced ditching in the Pacific Ocean. Contributing to the accident were the flight crew’s ineffective crew resource management, high workload, and stress.
  • ENG17IA0362017-09-06 · BOEING 757 232 · Delta Air Lines
    A No. 1 (left) engine undercowl fire caused by a fuel nozzle installation error during engine overhaul at Delta TechOps. A fuel nozzle b-nut was cross threaded, which allowed fuel to leak on hot engine case surfaces and subsequently ignite.
What it recommended after them
  • A-12-047TO THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION: Issue an airworthiness directive to require the incorporation of General Electric Aircraft Engines Service Bulletin 73-0242, “Fuel and Control – (73-00-00) – Spray Shields and Support Bracket – Improv… · ENG12IA010Closed - Acceptable Action

This is the pattern in the NTSB’s own record across similar accidents — which findings it cited, what it coded, what it recommended. It is drawn from the record, not written about this case, and it never assigns blame: investigations exist to prevent the next accident (ICAO Annex 13).