Runway Overrun and Evacuation Following Engine Bird Ingestion

Casualties unknown • Nashville, TN, US

A rejected takeoff following a bird strike led to a runway overrun and an unplanned evacuation involving several passenger injuries.

What happened

During the takeoff roll, the first officer called V1. Immediately after this call, the left engine ingested a bird, which triggered a compressor stall. As the rotation speed (VR) was called, the captain initiated a rejected takeoff. The aircraft continued to accelerate momentarily, exceeding V1 by 10 knots, which resulted in an overrun of the runway.

After the aircraft came to a stop in the overrun area, the captain issued a passenger announcement instructing everyone to remain seated. Fire and rescue personnel arrived at the scene and found no active fire; however, they observed smoking and deflating tires caused by excessive brake temperatures from the rejected takeoff, which had melted the tire fuse plugs. The crew dearmed the evacuation slides and opened the cabin doors for ventilation.

During the incident, a fire erupted from the right brake, though it was quickly extinguished by fire personnel. Upon hearing a firefighter shout "fire," the forward and aft flight attendants initiated an evacuation. This command was issued without notifying the captain of the reported fire, without communication between the flight attendants, and without determining the actual location of the fire. To facilitate the evacuation, the flight attendants closed the cabin doors and rearmed the slides. The evacuation resulted in 1 serious injury and 4 minor injuries among the passengers.

Findings

Investigation into the crew's actions revealed that the airline did not provide joint Crew Resource Management (CRM) training to both flight deck crews and flight attendants. Two of the three flight attendants present stated they had not received company CRM training.

Probable cause

The engine compressor stall was caused by bird ingestion, and the subsequent runway overrun occurred because the aircraft's speed exceeded V1 during the rejected takeoff attempt.

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Frequently asked questions

What happened in the 1996-07-08 Boeing 737-200 accident near Nashville, TN?

A rejected takeoff following a bird strike led to a runway overrun and an unplanned evacuation involving several passenger injuries.

What aircraft was involved and where did it happen?

The accident on 1996-07-08 involved a Boeing 737-200, registration N53SW, at Nashville, TN.

What was the probable cause of the accident?

The engine compressor stall was caused by bird ingestion, and the subsequent runway overrun occurred because the aircraft's speed exceeded V1 during the rejected takeoff attempt.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20001208X06148. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.

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