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DCA18CA056

2017-12-23 · Bethel, Alaska, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport PABE

Current FAA registration · N935CE

Make / Model
MCDONNELL DOUGLAS DC-9-33F
Year of manufacture
1969 · 48 years old at event
Engine
P & W JT8D-9 SER
Seats / Engines
116 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
20191021
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S ACF873

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

failure of a cargo tie-down fastener, resulting in unsecured cargo striking the pressure bulkhead.

Factual narrative

On December 23, 2017 at 1221 Alaska Standard Time (AST), a Boeing/McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, N935CE, experienced a depressurization on initial climb from the Bethel, Alaska, airport (PABE.) The flight crew returned to Bethel and landed with no further incident. There were no injuries to the two flight crew members or one cargo handler on board. The depressurization resulted from a pallet jack in the cargo compartment impacting the rear pressure bulkhead, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane. Inspection revealed a tie-down fastener for the pallet jack had pulled out. On December 23, 2017 at 1221 Alaska Standard Time (AkST) a Boeing/McDonnell-Douglas DC-9, registration N935CE, experienced a depressurization on initial climb from the Bethel, Alaska, airport (PABE.)  The flight crew returned to Bethel and landed with no further incident.  There were no injuries to the two flight crew and one cargo handler on board.  The depressurization resulted from a pallet jack in the cargo compartment impacting the rear pressure bulkhead, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane.  Inspection revealed a tie-down fastener for the pallet jack had pulled out.  Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft structures-Fuselage-Seat/cargo attach fitting-Failure - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2017_DCA18CA056.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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