Douglas DC-9-30 accident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, June 21, 1983
On June 21, 1983 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Douglas DC-9-30, registered N980Z, suffered minor damage in an accident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Mitchell airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 9 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
- June 21, 1983 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin · Mitchell
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 9 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-30 · all DC-9-30s on the register
- Registration
- N980Z · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A JETWAY COLLAPSED AS PASSENGER LOADING COMMENCED. THE DRIVE GEAR FAILED & OIL WAS FOUND TO BE CONTIMINATED WITH WATER. HEAT HAD TRANSFERRED TO THE WORM GEAR WHICH WAS MISALIGNED & WAS NOT MANUFACTURED FOR ACFT USE SPECIFICATIONS.
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: 14,370 hours in all; 9,056 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 104,000 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKE Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
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.