Douglas DC-9-51 incident near Madison, Wisconsin, December 2, 1986
On December 2, 1986 at about 5:26 am local time, a Douglas DC-9-51, registered N786NC, suffered minor damage in an incident near Madison, Wisconsin (Madison/Dane Cnty. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 114 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
- December 2, 1986 · about 5:26 am local time
- Place
- Madison, Wisconsin · Madison/Dane Cnty. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 114 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-51 DC9-51 · all DC-9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N786NC · no longer on the register · serial 48148
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AIRCRAFT SLID OFF THE RIGHT SIDE THE RUNWAY DURING THE ROLLOUT FROM A CROSS WIND LANDING AND STRUCK 6 RUNWAY EDGE LIGHTS CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO THE INBOARD TRAILING EDGE OF THE RIGHT FLAP. AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT THERE WAS 1/2 INCH OF SNOW ON THE RUNWAY AND BRAKING ACTION WAS REPORTED AS POOR. THE PIC WAS ABLE TO REGAIN CONTROL AND RETURNED THE AIRCRAFT TO THE RUNWAY WHERE THE REMAINDER OF THE LANDING ROLL WAS COMPLETED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 9,005 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 070° at 15 knots
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 109 |
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.