Boeing 757-251 incident near Minneapolis, Minnesota, April 3, 1986
On April 3, 1986 at about 7:32 pm local time, a Boeing 757-251, registered N508US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Minneapolis, Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 161 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
- April 3, 1986 · about 7:32 pm local time
- Place
- Minneapolis, Minnesota · Minneapolis/St. Paul · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 161 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-251 · all 757-251s on the register
- Registration
- N508US · no longer on the register · serial 23197
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
N508US WAS OPERATING AS NWA FLT 150. THE CAPTAIN STATED AFTER THE INCIDENT THAT THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL LANDING. UPON LANDING AND SPOILER DEPLOYMENT, THE ACFT PITCHED UP ABRUPTLY, TO AN ATTITUDE OF 10 DEGREES. THE LANDING WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE ACFT REVEALED DAMAGE TO THE ACFT FUSELAGE BELLY. BOEING ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN STATING THAT SPOILER DEPLOYMENT ON TOUCHDOWN WOULD PRODUCE A NOSE UP AERODYNAMIC MOMENT. SOLUTIONS TO THIS OCCURRENCE IS A MODIFICATION TO THE SPOILER DEPLOYMENT AND USE OF AUTO BRAKING DURING LANDING.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 200 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,878 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 3, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 220,000 lb
- Seats: 178
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFO San Francisco CA at 3:49 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 11R, 1,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 16 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from MSP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 159 |
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.