Douglas DC-9-32 incident near Kansas City, Missouri, May 29, 1991
On May 29, 1991 at about 6:00 pm local time, a Douglas DC-9-32, registered N933ML, was involved in an incident near Kansas City, Missouri. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 6 people had minor injuries; 40 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE DESIGN BY THE MANUFACTURERS. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INCIDENT ARE INADEQUATE CERTIFICATION/APPROVAL BY THE FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION AND CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 1991 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- Kansas City, Missouri
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 6 people had minor injuries; 40 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-32 DC9-32 · all DC-9-32s on the register
- Registration
- N933ML · registry record · serial 47548
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INCIDENT AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE WHILE FLYING IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AT 10,000' MSL. THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT DAMAGED DURING THE ENCOUNTER AND THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON. SHORTLY AFTER THE ENCOUNTER THE CAPTAIN WAS ADVISED BY THE CABIN CREW THAT THERE HAD BEEN INJURIES IN THE CABIN DURING THE TURBULENCE. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED TO ITS DESTINATION WHERE IT WAS MET BY PARAMEDICS. SIX PERSONS, THREE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND THREE PASSENGERS, WERE TRANSPORTED TO A LOCAL HOSPITAL, TREATED FOR MINOR INJURIES AND RELEASED. ONE PASSENGER SEAT BELT SEPARATED FROM ITS ATTACHMENT POINT ON THE SEAT FRAME. EXAMINATION OF THE SEAT BELT SHOWED A DISTORTED KEEPER CLIP ON THE HOOK ASSEMBLY.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 104,000 lb
- Seats: 85
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Midway Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MDW Chicago IL
- Destination: MCI Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from MCI, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 3 | 38 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI91IA175.