VAN BUREN TOWNSHIP, MI - The National Transportation Safety Board says a mechanical issue was found on the jet carrying the University of Michigan basketball team that aborted takeoff and skidded into a field on March 8.
The Boeing MD-83 was supposed to take the team to the Big Ten Tournament in Washington, D.C., but ran off the runway at Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti "after executing a rejected takeoff," according to a preliminary report released by the NTSB on Tuesday, March 21.
In an update on Wednesday, the department revealed a mechanical issue was found on the aircraft during the ongoing investigation - a damaged component of the airplane's right elevator.
Elevators are the primary way to control a plane's pitch - nose up and nose down, according to the NTSB.
Investigators determined the right elevator on the aircraft was jammed in a nose down position and a component of the right elevator - the right elevator geared tab inboard pushrod linkage - was damaged and restricting movement of the right elevator surface, but allowing movement of the control tab on the elevator.
According to the National Transportation Board, the March 10, 2017, image depicts the displaced inboard elevator geared tab linkage, highlighted by the arrow, from Ameristar Air Cargo Inc., flight 9363, that went off the runway on March 8. The red piece of metal is included in the image for reference only an is not part of the elevator system, according to the board.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board, this graphic shows a diagram of one of two elevators of the MD-83 involved in the March 8, 2017, rejected takeoff and runway excursion at Willow Run Airport near Ypsilanti, Michigan. The elevators are the primary means of controlling the airplane's pitch.
The flight data recorder showed that both elevators moved normally two days prior, when the plane was flown to the Willow Run Airport, but during the taxi and take-off roll on the day of the crash, the right elevator did not move, according to NTSB.
The NTSB statement said:
The plane went through a fence and over a service road before coming to a stop, from what could be seen at the airport, and the NTSB confirmed that the 109 passengers and seven crew members exited the plane using escape slides.
Flight and cabin crewmembers indicated that all slides, except that of the right forward door, deployed correctly, according to the NTSB update. The right forward door slide will now be examined by investigators.
The NTSB noted that the investigation into the accident could take 12 to 18 months and no conclusions should be drawn from the update released Wednesday. Also party to the investigation is the Federal Aviation Administration, The Boeing Company and the plane's operator, Ameristar Jet Charter Inc., referred to as Ameristar Air Cargo Inc. by NTSB.
University of Michigan basketball player Derrick Walton Jr. appears to be the only one injured in the incident, requiring stitches. The team went on to win the Big Ten Tournament and now continues compete in the NCAA Tournament.