By JONATHAN D. SALANT
The Associated Press // August 5, 2003 // WASHINGTON
An Emery Worldwide Airlines DC-8 cargo plane crashed in February 2000 because a missing bolt caused part of an elevator assembly on the tail to separate, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday in a report blaming poor maintenance.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff from an airport near Sacramento, Calif., killing all three crew members.
Board investigators said after the bolt came loose the elevator assembly separated and the pilots could not keep the plane in the air. The elevator raises and lowers the plane's nose.
Investigators said such an incident would not have occurred had the plane been properly maintained and inspected.
"It was a tragedy. It should not have occurred," NTSB Chairwoman Ellen Engleman said.
The NTSB recommended new inspections of DC-8 elevator assemblies, and new procedures requiring pilots to make sure the elevators are working before they take off.
In response to the crash, Boeing has changed the DC-8 maintenance manual to include checks of the control rod that connects the tab to the elevator, and added a new section to its pilot training guide that deals with controlling the plane when the nose is stuck in the up position, spokeswoman Liz Verdier said.
In addition, the company plans to provide a kit by mid-2004 to retrofit the remaining 148 DC-8s still in service, she said.
The Emery DC-8 crashed while trying to make an emergency landing shortly after taking off from a small airport near Sacramento. The plane crashed into an auto salvage yard, setting fire to as many as 200 cars and causing explosions.
In August 2001, Emery grounded its 37-plane fleet after the FAA found more than 100 possible safety violations. The FAA said Emery made improper and inadequate repairs to mechanical irregularities that had been flagged by the airline's pilots; made unapproved alterations to its aircraft; failed to keep adequate records; and did not follow the policies in its manuals.
Emery airlines no longer flies. The company, now part of Menlo Worldwide, contracts with other airlines to ship cargo.