British Aerospace 3101 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, September 8, 1987
On September 8, 1987, a British Aerospace 3101, registered N407MX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia (Hartsfield Atl. Int'L). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 19 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 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
- September 8, 1987
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Hartsfield Atl. Int'L
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 19 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace 3101
- Registration
- N407MX · no longer on the register · serial 636
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE WAS STRUCK BY AN EASTBOUND, AIRLINE EMPLOYEE BUS WHILE TAXIING SOUTH ON THE RAMP TO THE ASSIGNED GATE. THE BUS IMPACTED THE ACFT RT WING TIP. A PAX IN THE BUS REPORTED THAT SHE WARNED THE BUS DRIVER TO WATCH OUT FOR THE AIRPLANE PRIOR TO THE COLLISION, BUT THE DRIVER CONTINUED TO LOOK STRAIGHT AND MAINTAIN SPEED. AFTER THE PAX WARNED THE DRIVER A SECOND TIME, THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE THE BUS TO A STOP AND AVOID THE COLLISION. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE NAVIGATION AND ROTATING BEACON WERE ON THE ENTIRE TIME. ACCORDING TO ARPT GROUND TRAFFIC RULES AND REGULATIONS, AIRCRAFT HAVE THE RIGHT-OF-WAY OVER VEHICULAR TRAFFIC AT ALL TIMES,
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,960 hours in all; 1,160 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,971 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 15,212 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHA Chattanooga TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:52 pm from ATL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 17 |
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.