NTSB Factual Report

On November 2, 2007, at 0527 central standard time, a Douglas DC-8-73F, N880UP, registered to and operated by United Parcel Service (UPS), Louisville, Kentucky, made an emergency landing at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport (ICT), Wichita, Kansas, after smoke filled the cockpit. Visual meteorological conditions (VMC) prevailed at the time of the incident. The non-scheduled domestic cargo flight was being conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed and activated. The captain, first officer, flight engineer, and a jump seat occupant were not injured. The cross-country flight originated at Louisville (SDF), Kentucky, at 0513 eastern standard time, and was en route to Ontario International Airport (ONT), Ontario, California.

According to the incident report submitted by UPS, the airplane was in cruise flight about 150 miles east of ICT when the crew detected a strange odor. When they opened the cockpit door, they saw smoke in the courier area. The crew donned oxygen masks, declared an emergency, and diverted to ICT. The crew then noticed heavy smoke coming from the lavatory and heard a motor running continuously. The captain discharged a Halon fire extinguisher into the lavatory compartment and the smoke subsided.

On January 30, 2008, the lavatory fan and recirculation fan were disassembled and examined under the auspices of FAA's Flight Standards District Office in SDF. According to UPS's Aircraft Engineering Report, the lavatory fan functioned normally. Examination of the recirculation fan (m/n AVRF85-62D1779), however, revealed the motor (p/n 941D601-1) had seized. Further examination revealed the end ball bearing (p/n P8C7706-19) located below the fan rotor had failed, allowing the motor rotor to make contact with the motor stator.

NTSB Probable Cause

Failure of the recirculation fan motor end ball bearing.