Date: June 2nd, 1983
Type: McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32
Registration: -
Operator: Air Canada
Where: Cincinnati-Greater Cincinnati APT (USA)
Report No.: NTSB/AAR-84/09
Report Date: -
Pages: -

This is not an accident investigation report.


At 16.25h CDT Flight 797 took off from Dallas for a flight to Montreal via Toronto. At 18.51h EDT, while cruising at FL330, the three aft lavatory flush motor circuit breakers tripped. The captain thought the plush motor had probably seized and waited for about eight minutes before (unsuccessfully) trying to reset them. At about the same time a strange odor was smelled at the aft of the plane. After finding out that the lavatory was full of smoke, a cabin attendant used the CO2 bottle to put out the fire (though only black smoke was seen coming out of the seams of the lavatotory's walls). The first officer went over to take a look, but had to returnb to the cockpit to get his goggles. When returning to the cockpit at 19.07h, the 1st officer told the captain he thought it best to descend. Around that time the aircraft started developing electrical problems and a Mayday call was issued. Flight 797 stared to descend and contacted Cincinnati at 19.10h for an emergency. During the desent smoke began to fill the passenger cabin. The emergency landing was carried out on Runway 27L at 19.20h. The Cincinnati fire services were not able to put out the fire, which gutted the fuselage. PROBABLE CAUSE: "A fire of undetermined origin, an underestimate of fire severity, and conflicting fire progress information provided to the captain. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the flightcrew's delayed decision to institute an emergency descent." (NTSB/AAR-84/09)
Source: NTSB/AAR-84/09