Boeing 737-201 incident near Dayton, Ohio, March 9, 1989
On March 9, 1989 at about 10:13 pm local time, a Boeing 737-201, registered N217US, was involved in an incident near Dayton, Ohio. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 82 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN EXCESSIVELY WORN OUTFLOW VALVE IN THE CABIN EVIRONMENTAL/PRESSURIZATION SYSTEM THAT RESULTED IN A RAPID CABIN DEPRESSURIZATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 1989 · about 10:13 pm local time · cases in 1989
- Place
- Dayton, Ohio
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 82 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-201 · all 737-201s on the register
- Registration
- N217US · registry record · serial 20215
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A PASSENGER DIED AFTER A RAPID DECOMPRESSION AND EMERGENCY DESCENT. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE AIRPLANE OR INJURY TO THE REMAINING OCCUPANTS OF THE AIRPLANE. AN INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT AN UNCONTROLLABLE OUTFLOW VALVE RESULTED IN A RAPID DECOMPRESSION AT FL 310. THE OXYGEN MASKS DEPLOYED & THE CPT MADE AN EMERGENCY DESCENT TO 10,000 FT, THEN CONTINUED TO DAYTON, LANDING AT 1740. THE PASSENGER WAS TAKEN TO A DAYTON HOSPITAL AND DIED AT ABOUT 6 HOURS AND 50 MINUTES LATER. THE MONTGOMERY COUNTY CORONER RULED THAT DEATH WAS DUE TO NATURAL CAUSES.
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
- Flight time: 12,800 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 49,548 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 110
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TPA Tampa FL at 8:36 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 76 |
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 N217US the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N217US on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Boeing 737 2,896 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Boeing 6,677 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A 5 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Tampa International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Ohio 1,884 since 1982 · 253 in the last ten years
- Ohio 8,528 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N217US 2 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ATL89IA099.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.