Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-15 accident near Syracuse, New York, November 21, 1997
On November 21, 1997 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-15, registered N564PC, was substantially damaged in an accident near Syracuse, New York (Syracuse Hancock Int'L airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's inadequate preflight to ensure that the cargo pallets were properly secured. Also causal was the the improper securing of the pallets.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 21, 1997 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Syracuse, New York · Syracuse Hancock Int'L
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-15 · all DC-9-15s on the register
- Registration
- N564PC · registry record · serial 47062
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain reported the airplane was empty except for the six cargo deck pallets that had been stacked at the 'B' position (toward the front end of the cargo deck) instead of being spread out and secured over the cargo deck floor. When power for takeoff was applied, the cargo pallets shifted and impacted the aft bulkhead. The takeoff was aborted. The pilots visually inspected the damage to the aft bulkhead and concluded that no damage had been done to the airplane. The cargo pallets were secured to the cargo deck. The pilots re-filed the flight plan and continued with the positioning flight. An inspection revealed substantial damage to the airplane. The company's aviation mechanic had told the cargo handlers to stack the pallets instead of spreading them out and securing them to the floor. The six pallets that fit on the cargo deck floor corresponded to the six pallet positions A - F. The cargo handlers strapped five of the pallets together with cargo straps and placed them on the pallet which was secured in the 'B' position. The five cargo pallets were not secured to the pallet in the B position. The pallet jack was secured on top of the five pallets by cargo straps.
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: 7,576 hours in all; 3,837 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 3,532 as pilot in command; 95 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52,280 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 12, 1997; 102 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 90,700 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SYR NY at 3:30 pm
- Destination: YIP Ypsilanti MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 28R, 9,003 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.