Accidents
Faulty maintenance blamed in MD engine fire
Two veteran American Airlines pilots, who in the words of the NTSB were “not having a good day,” nevertheless used “some exceptional stick-and-rudder skill

Two veteran American Airlines pilots, who in the words of the NTSB were “not having a good day,” nevertheless used “some exceptional stick-and-rudder skills” to get their crippled MD-82 safely back to Lambert-St. Louis International Airport (STL) after experiencing an in-flight engine fire during the airliner’s departure climb on Sept. 28, 2007.

During the return to STL, the nose landing gear on Flight 1400 failed to extend because of the loss of hydraulic pressure, so the pilots executed a single-engine go-around and lowered the nosegear using the emergency procedure. After the crew completed an emergency landing, the two pilots, three flight attendants and 138 passengers deplaned on the runway. No injuries were reported, but the airplane was substantially damaged by the fire.