Boeing 747-200 and Unknown UNKNOWN incident near New Orleans, Louisiana, December 20, 1984
On December 20, 1984 at about 9:35 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Boeing 747-200 (DABYP) and Unknown UNKNOWN (UNK), were involved in the same incident near New Orleans, Louisiana. No one was hurt; 365 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
- December 20, 1984 · about 9:35 pm local time
- Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 365 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Boeing 747-200 · all 747-200s on the register
- Registration
- DABYP · no longer on the register · serial 21590
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
- Aircraft 2
- Unknown UNKNOWN
- Registration
- UNK · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 747-200 final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, A BOEING 747, REGISTRATION NUMBER D-ABYP, LUFTHANSA FLIGHT 5432, WAS VECTORED FOR AN ILS LOCALIZER BACKCOURSE APCH TO RWY 19 AT THE NEW ORLEAN INTL ARPT. WHILE ON THE APCH AT 2000 FT MSL, THE AIRCREW WERE INSTRUCTED BY THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER TO CONTACT THE TOWER ON ANOTHER FREQUENCY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER OBSERVEDA VFR CODED TARGET APPEAR ON THE RADAR. HE ATTEMPTED TO ADVISE THE BOEING CREW BY USING AN OVERRIDE FEATURE, BUT AT THAT TIME, ANOTHER CONTROLLER WAS TRANSMITTING. THE BOEING CREW SAW THE ACFT COMING HEAD-ON & TOOK EVASIVE ACTION BY MAKING A STEEP TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE OTHER ACFT WAS A LIGHT SINGLE ENG PLANE THAT WAS FLYING AT 2000 FT MSL. THE LIGHT PLANE WAS NEVER IDENTIFIED & WAS NOT OBSERVED TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. A GROUP II TERMINAL CONTROL AREA (TCA) WAS IN PLACE AT NEW ORLEANS. THE NEAR COLLISION OCCURRED WHERE THE MIN ALT FOR THAT PART OF THE INSTR APCH WAS AT THE BOTTOMOF THE TCA. VFR FLT UP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TCA IN THAT AREA WAS LEGAL. THE NUMBER OF OCCUPANTS IN THE SE ACFT WAS UNKN.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Unknown UNKNOWN final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING ARRIVAL, A BOEING 747, REGISTRATION NUMBER D-ABYP, LUFTHANSA FLIGHT 5432, WAS VECTORED FOR AN ILS LOCALIZER BACKCOURSE APCH TO RWY 19 AT THE NEW ORLEAN INTL ARPT. WHILE ON THE APCH AT 2000 FT MSL, THE AIRCREW WERE INSTRUCTED BY THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER TO CONTACT THE TOWER ON ANOTHER FREQUENCY. SHORTLY AFTER THAT, THE ARRIVAL CONTROLLER OBSERVEDA VFR CODED TARGET APPEAR ON THE RADAR. HE ATTEMPTED TO ADVISE THE NOEING CREW BY USING AN OVERRIDE FEATURE, BUT AT THAT TIME, ANOTHER CONTROLLER WAS TRANSMITTING. THE BOEING CREW SAW THE ACFT COMING HEAD-ON & TOOK EVASIVE ACTION BY MAKING A STEEP TURN TO THE RIGHT. THE OTHER ACFT WAS A LIGHT SINGLE ENG PLANE THAT WAS FLYING AT 2000 FT MSL. THE LIGHT PLANE WAS NEVER IDENTIFIED & WAS NOT OBSERVED TO TAKE EVASIVE ACTION. A GROUP II TERMINAL CONTROL AREA (TCA) WAS IN PLACE AT NEW ORLEANS. THE NEAR COLLISION OCCURRED WHERE THE MIN ALT FOR THAT PART OF THE INSTR APCH WAS AT THE BOTTOMOF THE TCA. VFR FLT UP TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TCA IN THAT AREA WAS LEGAL. THE NUMBER OF OCCUPANTS IN THE SE ACFT WAS UNKN.
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 for the Boeing 747-200 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,832 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 733,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50E (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EDDF Frnkfrt,Germany OF
- Destination: MSY New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from MSY, 9 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 18 | |||
| Passengers | 346 |
The factual record for the Unknown UNKNOWN from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Unknown
- Destination: Unknown
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.