DC-9/MD-80 in-flight tail cone slide deployment

[Mark in CA]

Anyone on this Engineers & Technicians board care to speculate on what might have caused the emergency evacuation slide on the charter plane carrying Barack Obama to deploy inside the tail cone during flight this week? From what I've read, this may have been a first-time event, or at least one that no one has ever heard of before.

[Vortechs Jenerator]

Someone opened the door whilst activated??:)

Probably routed incorrectly during fit and a hosty knocked the slide cover or something, went off as the actuation cable under slight tension, how's that for speculation?.

[Mark in CA]

>how's that for speculation?

I think you can do better than that. If what you say were true, there'd be slides popping out all over the place, yet as far as I can tell, this may be a first-time event.

BTW, this NTSB update came out yesterday:


NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
July 10, 2008

UPDATE ON NTSB INVESTIGATION INVOLVING MIDWEST AIRLINES AIRPLANE CARRYING SENATOR OBAMA

The following is an update on the National Transportation Safety Board's investigation of the incident involving the Midwest Airlines MD-81 airplane carrying Senator Barack Obama on July 7, 2008, in which the tail cone evacuation slide deployed in-flight.

Preliminary findings reveal that the slide was partially inflated and the inflation bottle was empty. Examination of the hardware did not reveal any evidence of missing components, nor any evidence of tampering.

The slide and hardware were removed from the aircraft for examination. There was no evidence of any punctures in the slide; however, there were marks consistent with rubbing of elevator control cables. Additional evidence was found to indicate that a catwalk railing was broken and impinged upon elevator control cables. The slide and hardware will be sent to the manufacturer for detailed examinations supervised by the NTSB.

The flight recorders have been removed and are en route to NTSB headquarters for download and analysis. Flight crew statements indicate that the crew did not hear the slide deploy in flight nor did a mechanic who was seated in the rear of the airplane. The flight crew confirmed that they detected elevator control stiffness during the initial level off after departure from Chicago Midway Airport. Maintenance records have been secured for further examination.

Research has been initiated into the certification of the slide, its service history, and its design interface with the airplane.

The NTSB completed the on scene phase of the investigation yesterday.

Click the links below to view larger images:

Photos:

* Deployed tail cone evacuation slide from incident airplane: http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2008/Deployed_slide.jpg
* Undeployed tail cone evacuation slide as installed on another aircraft: http://www.ntsb.gov/Pressrel/2008/Undeployed_slide.jpg




NTSB Media Contact:
Bridget Ann Serchak
202.314.6143
[email protected]

[Engineer_aus]

I would suggest it would be a manufactures stuff up, or person who overhauled it. I have played with those slides before and are a single unit. Very strange for one to deploy in flight though.