Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83 incident near Saint Louis, Missouri, July 25, 1998
On July 25, 1998 at about 10:57 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83, registered N9620D, suffered minor damage in an incident near Saint Louis, Missouri (Lambert St. Louis airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 148 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the flight crew to maintain clearance from the sweeper truck. A factor in the incident was the sweeper truck.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 1998 · about 10:57 pm local time · cases in 1998
- Place
- Saint Louis, Missouri · Lambert St. Louis · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 148 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-83
- Registration
- N9620D · registry record · serial 53591
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Trans World Airlines (TWA) flight 150 had just landed and was taxing to the gate. A sweeper truck was stopped on taxiway 'A' across from taxiway 'T', with the operator out of the truck picking up debris. The flight crew saw the truck and operator, but the first officer 'determined that the sweeper was located well clear of our aircrafts path.' The aircraft struck the sweeper truck. The flight crew thought they hit a pothole, and did not report it to Air Traffic Control (ATC). Another TWA flight saw the sweeper operator on the ground and notified ATC.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,338 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Trans World Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Destination: STL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 13,000 ft; scat at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:53 pm from STL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 142 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N9620D on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mcdonnell Douglas 254 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217A 82 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- St. Louis Lambert International · nearest airport
- Los Angeles International · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Missouri 1,640 since 1982 · 219 in the last ten years
- Missouri 5,821 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI98IA275.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.