What happened
On March 8, 1994, an Advance Air Charter Douglas DC-8-62F was preparing for a charter flight from Calgary International Airport to Murmansk, Russia. While the aircraft was taxiing on taxiway Charlie, the crew and ground personnel heard loud bangs. During the taxi, two main wheels on the left side of the aircraft failed.
As the aircraft proceeded with its take-off roll, the flight engineer noted low power on the No. 1 engine. Despite the vibration and power discrepancies, the crew continued the take-off. After becoming airborne, air traffic control notified the crew that rubber debris had been left on the runway. A loadmaster in the cabin also alerted the flight deck that the left-side main tires appeared to have failed. To facilitate a safe return, the captain decided to dump 112,000 pounds of fuel to reduce the aircraft's weight for an emergency landing. The aircraft returned to Calgary and landed without injuries to the 8 crew members or 75 passengers.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanical cause of the tire failure and the crew's decision-making process. Investigators examined the wheel assemblies and found that a wheel rim separation had occurred. The investigation also reviewed maintenance logs, which showed a history of intermittent issues with the No. 1 engine's power indications. Furthermore, the TSB examined the communication between the cabin crew, the loadmaster, and the flight deck, as well as the operator's training protocols.
Findings
- The No. 2 tire deflated due to a wheel rim separation caused by an undetected fatigue crack.
- A broken section of the No. 2 wheel rim punctured the No. 5 tire.
- The flight crew continued the take-off despite the presence of two failed tires on the left side due to ineffective communications.
- A lack of crew resource management (CRM) training provided by the operator contributed to the breakdown in communication between the cockpit and the cabin.