=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/chronicle/archive/2003/08= /06/BA235354.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Wednesday, August 6, 2003 (SF Chronicle) Poor maintenance blamed for Sacramento air crash Jim Herron Zamora, Chronicle Staff Writer The fiery crash of a cargo jet that bellyflopped into a Sacramento auto junkyard three years ago was caused by faulty maintenance involving a single bolt on the plane's tail, federal investigators announced Tuesday. In a long-awaited report, the National Transportation Safety Board said maintenance workers failed to properly attach and inspect the bolt, which then caused the Emery Worldwide DC-8 to crash shortly after takeoff on Feb. 16, 2000. All three crew members were killed. The bolt was part of the machinery that controlled the right elevator in the plane's tail, and its loss meant that the pilot was unable to raise and lower the plane's nose. Emery Worldwide Flight 17 crashed into an auto salvage yard about 7:50 p.m., while attempting to return for landing shortly after departing from Sacramento's Mather Airport. More than 150 autos also caught on fire, and flames could be seen for miles as cars exploded. Seconds before the crash, the pilot reported to Sacramento's radar approach control that the airplane had "an extreme center-of-gravity problem." The DC-8 was on a scheduled cargo flight to Emery's main cargo hub in Dayton, Ohio. It had earlier arrived from Reno. After the huge fire, all that remained of the plane was burned rubble and an engine standing on end between two rows of cars. Despite the destruction, investigators were able to conclude that the bo= lt caused the crash. "It should not have occurred," NTSB Chairwoman Ellen Engleman said. "It illustrates the interdependence and critical roles and responsibilities of each member of the aviation safety chain. Safety requires 100 percent performance by everyone." The NTSB report issued 15 recommendations to avoid a similar crash. They include recommendations for revised maintenance procedures, improved training for flight crews, the redesign of DC-8 elevator control tab installations, and replacement of DC-8 aluminum elevator geared tab crank arms. The Sacramento crash was part of a series of problems that ultimately led to the grounding of Emery's fleet in 2001. CNF Inc., the Palo Alto company that owns Emery, halted flights after the Federal Aviation Administration threatened to revoke its airline certificate. E-mail Jim Zamora at jzamora@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2003 SF Chronicle