Douglas DC-9-31 accident near Montgomery, Alabama, July 21, 1986
On July 21, 1986 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Douglas DC-9-31, registered N9332, suffered minor damage in an accident near Montgomery, Alabama. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 39 others were unhurt. 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 accident. 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
- July 21, 1986 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Montgomery, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 39 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-31 · all DC-9-31s on the register
- Registration
- N9332 · no longer on the register · serial 47264
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING FLT, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE (TURBC) WHILE FLYING IN THE VICINITY OF A THUNDERSTORM (TSTM). DURING THE OCCURRENCE, A FLT ATTENDANT, WHO WAS SERVING BEVERAGES, SUSTAINED A FRACTURED LUMBAR VERTEBRAE. RADAR DATA REVEALED THE ACFT WAS ABOUT 4 MI WEST (DOWNWIND) FROM HVY WX. JUST BEFORE THE ENCOUNTER, THE FLT CREW RPRTD THEY WERE FLYING UNDER 'SOME PRETTY GOOD OVERHANGS.' FAA CIRCULAR AC 00-6A, TITLED 'AVIATION WEATHER,' STATES 'DO AVOID BY AT LEAST 20 MILES ANY THUNDERSTORM IDENTIFIED AS SEVERE OR GIVING AN INTENSE RADAR ECHO. THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE UNDER THE ANVIL OF A LARGE CUMULONIMBUS.' RPRTDLY, THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON WHEN THE TURBC ENCOUNTER OCCURRED.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 104,000 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TPA Tampa FL at 2:01 pm
- Destination: MEM Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 pm from PIE, 80 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 34 |
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.
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.