Douglas DC-9-31 incident near Atlanta, Georgia, June 8, 1990
On June 8, 1990 at about 2:24 am local time, a Douglas DC-9-31, registered N8943E, suffered minor damage in an incident near Atlanta, Georgia (William B. Hartsfield). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 96 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE INSPECTION BY OPERATOR PERSONNEL WHICH RESULTED IN OPERATION OF THE TIRE WHILE UNDER-INFLATED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 8, 1990 · about 2:24 am local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · William B. Hartsfield
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 96 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-31 · all DC-9-31s on the register
- Registration
- N8943E · no longer on the register · serial 47166
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT ROTATION THE FLIGHT CREW NOTED A BANG & A VIBRATION. THE LEFT ENGINE LOST POWER & WAS SHUT DOWN. A SINGLE ENGINE LANDING WAS COMPLETED AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE NO. 2 TIRE RUPTURED DURING THE TAKE OFF ROLL. TIRE DEBRIS ENTERED THE ENGINE. THE TIRE HAD BEEN RECAPPED ONCE 7 DAYS PRIOR & INSTALLED ON THE AIRPLANE 2 DAYS PRIOR. THE AIRPLANE HAD RECEIVED TWO DAILY SERVICE INSPECTIONS ON THE DAY PRIOR & THE MORNING OF THE INCIDENT. THE INSPECTION REQUIRES TIRE PRESSURE CHECKS WITH A GAUGE. TWO OTHER RECENT TIRE BLOWOUT INCIDENTS ON TAKE OFF WERE FOUND TO HAVE RESULTED FROM UNDER-INFLATION.
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: 8,126 hours in all; 3,567 in this make and model; 250 in the last 90 days; 82 in the last 30 days; 2,782 as pilot in command; 1,187 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 105,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Eastern Air Lines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: TLH Tallahassee FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27L, 9,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 am from ATL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 91 |
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.