Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31 incident near Charleston, South Carolina, March 14, 1986
On March 14, 1986 at about 4:57 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31, registered N8924E, suffered minor damage in an incident near Charleston, South Carolina (Charleston Afb/Intl. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 79 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 1986 · about 4:57 am local time
- Place
- Charleston, South Carolina · Charleston Afb/Intl. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 79 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · all DC-9-31s on the register
- Registration
- N8924E · no longer on the register · serial 45839
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT LANDED ON RWY 15 AT 2357 EST. THE RWY WAS WET FROM HEAVY RAIN & THUNDERSTORMS. BRAKING WAS INEFFECTIVE AND THE ACFT FAILED TO STOP. THE CAPT STEERED RT INTO THE MUD TO THE RT SIDE OF THE OVERRUN. POST ACCIDENT REVIEW OF THE FLT DATA RECORDER SHOWED THAT THE ACFT DESCENDED AT A HIGHER THAN NORMAL RATE. THE LANDING SPEED WAS ABOUT 150 KTS WINDS WERE AT 070 DEGREES AT 10 KTS.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,412 hours in all; 4,380 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 38,287 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 15, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 104,000 lb
- Seats: 99
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 4:06 am
- Destination: CHS Charleston SC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 15, 9,001 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; scat at 300 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:57 am from CHS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 75 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N8924E the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.