Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9 incident near Champaign, Illinois, February 11, 1985
On February 11, 1985 at about 5:25 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9, registered N978Z, was involved in an incident near Champaign, Illinois (Willard airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 53 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- February 11, 1985 · about 5:25 am local time
- Place
- Champaign, Illinois · Willard · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 53 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9 · all DC-9s on the register
- Registration
- N978Z · no longer on the register · serial 47250
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
OZARK FLT #814 MOMENTARILY TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR 16 FT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF RWY 31. WHEN 50 FT ABOVE MINIMUMS DURING THE ILS RWY 31 APCH THE F/O CALLED RWY IN SIGHT. CAPTAIN ASKED FOR LANDING LIGHTS WHICH THE F/O TURNED ON. CAPTAIN STATED, 'AT THIS POINT I NOTICED IT WAS SO BRIGHT, IT WAS DIFFICULT TO SEE. EITHER THE WEATHER HAD DETERIORATED OR THE LIGHTS REDUCED THE VISIBILITY TO THE POINT THAT I DECIDED A GO AROUND WAS NECESSARY.' A GO AROUND WAS INITIATED AND THE FLIGHT DIVERTED TO ST. LOUIS, MO. A 4 FT WIDE BY 100 FT LONG TRACK WAS FOUND IN THE SNOW 16 FT OFF THE LEFT SIDE OF RWY. WEATHER AT THE TIME WAS DOWN TO APPROACH MINIMUMS.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 104,000 lb
- Seats: 116
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Springfield IL at 5:00 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 8,100 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:13 am from CMI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 48 |
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 N978Z the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.