Tragedy at Sacramento: Emery Flight 17 Crashes

Flight 17 took off from Sacramento with 101,000 pounds of cargo. Seventeen seconds later, the crew radioed they were returning. The DC-8 had lost two engines on the right side during takeoff. They couldn't maintain altitude with asymmetric power. The plane crashed into an automotive recycling yard three miles from the runway. All three crew members died. The yard was empty because it was Sunday. The NTSB found catastrophic metal fatigue in both engines. They'd been operating past their safe life limits. The crash of Emery Worldwide Airlines Flight 17 on February 16, 2000, highlighted the risks of aging cargo aircraft operating under maintenance standards that critics argued were less rigorous than those applied to passenger carriers. The DC-8-71F was climbing out of Sacramento Mather Airport when both engines on the right wing failed catastrophically. The number three engine suffered an uncontained turbine disk failure, spraying shrapnel that severed the hydraulic lines controlling the wing's flight surfaces. The number four engine experienced a simultaneous or near-simultaneous failure. With asymmetric thrust and compromised flight controls, the crew was unable to maintain altitude or control the aircraft's roll. The NTSB investigation revealed that the high-pressure turbine disks in both engines had accumulated metal fatigue beyond the manufacturer's recommended inspection intervals. The airline's maintenance records showed a pattern of deferred inspections and extended component life limits that the NTSB characterized as inadequate. The investigation also criticized the FAA's oversight of cargo carrier maintenance programs. The crash contributed to subsequent tightening of engine component life limits and inspection requirements for freight operators. The empty recycling yard prevented what could have been a much larger ground casualty count, as the crash site was surrounded by commercial and industrial properties.