Fokker F-27-200 incident near Marquette, Michigan, February 24, 1990
On February 24, 1990 at about 4:22 am local time, a Fokker F-27-200, registered N270MA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Marquette, Michigan (Marquette CO. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 28 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 PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING TOUCHDOWN AND ROLLOUT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 24, 1990 · about 4:22 am local time
- Place
- Marquette, Michigan · Marquette CO. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 28 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Fokker F-27-200
- Registration
- N270MA · registry record · serial 10212
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WEATHER WAS REPORTED AT APPROACH MINIMUMS WITH SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT WAS ACQUIRED AT OR ABOVE DECISION HEIGHT. AT TOUCHDOWN A WHITEOUT OCCURRED AND FORWARD VISIBILITY WAS REDUCED TO ZERO. THE CAPTAIN WHO WAS PILOTING THE AIRCRAFT LOST VISUAL REFERENCE TO THE RUNWAY AND SUBSEQUENTLY WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN DIRECTIONAL CONTROL OF THE AIRCRAFT WHEN IT DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT AND THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR CONTACTED DEEP SNOW. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST IN WAIST DEEP SNOW 100 FEET OFF THE RUNWAY. THE NOSE LANDING GEAR WAS DAMAGED. NONE OF THE CREW OF THREE NOR ANY OF THE 25 PASSENGERS REPORTED INJURIES.
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: 8,063 hours in all; 264 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 48,238 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 38,944 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce 532-7R (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI at 1:45 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 6,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 14 knots
- Sky: overcast at 200 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:22 am from MQT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 25 |
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.