Boeing 727 accident near St Paul, Minnesota, July 11, 1988
On July 11, 1988 at about 10:37 pm local time, a Boeing 727, registered N254US, was substantially damaged in an accident near St Paul, Minnesota (Minneapolis - St Paul airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 93 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 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
- July 11, 1988 · about 10:37 pm local time
- Place
- St Paul, Minnesota · Minneapolis - St Paul · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 93 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727 · all 727s on the register
- Registration
- N254US · no longer on the register · serial 19973
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER PUSH BACK FROM THE GATE, THE CAPTAIN RECEIVED AN UNRESTRICTED TAXI CLEARANCE & ELECTED TO TAXI TO THE NORTH SIDE OF A CONSTRUCTION AREA. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE LEFT WING OF THE ACFT STRUCK A PARKED VEHICLE IN A NONMOVEMENT AREA, WHICH RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. THE CAPT STATED THAT THE LACK OF INFORMATION IN THE FORM OF NOTAMS, LACK OF SPECIFIC DIRECTIONS FROM GROUND CONTROL AND LACK OF SIGNS AROUND THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, LEAD TO HIS DECISION TO TAXI ALONG THAT ROUTE.
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: 13,580 hours in all; 10,630 in this make and model; 181 in the last 90 days; 72 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 43,637 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 17, 1987; 1,178 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 191,500 lb
- Seats: 155
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MSP
- Destination: IND Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29L, 10,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 77°F (25°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Observation at 10:52 pm from MSP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 86 |
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.