Special Investigation Report: Evacuation of United Airlines DC-8-61, Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona, December 29, 1980

摘要

On December 29, 1980, United Airlines Charter Flight 5820, a DC-8-61, with 238 passengers and a crew of 9, was evacuated at Sky Harbor International Airport, Phoenix, Arizona, when the failure of the rear Ianding gear bogie beam resulted in a fire in the aircraft's right main landing gear. The cockpit crew was erroneously advised of an engine fire by the airport tower and began emergency shutdown procedures. The captain initiated the evacuation after all electrical power had been shut down and the public address (PA) and cabin interphone systems were without power. Therefore, the second officer had to give the evacuation orders to passengers and flight attendants by 'word of mouth'. During the evacuation, no other emergency communication equipment was used; the flightcrew used only verbal, unamplified commands. As part of the National Transportation Safety Board's special investigation of the evacuation, a questionnaire was sent to all passengers. In response to the questionnaire, a majority of passengers commented that communication between flight personnel and passengers was ineffective and confusing and caused the evacuation to be delayed. As a result of its special investigation and its previous work on the subject of evacuations, the Safety Board has made recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to improve the availability of emergency communication equipment and to promote its use.