Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-50 accident near Memphis, Tennessee, December 7, 1997
On December 7, 1997 at about 7:40 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-50, registered N774NC, was involved in an accident near Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 126 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight attendant lost his balance during pushback and struck his head on a galley door.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 1997 · about 7:40 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · Memphis International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 126 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-50 · all DC-9-50s on the register
- Registration
- N774NC · no longer on the register · serial 47776
- 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 captain and a ground handler reported that pushback was normal. The captain was then informed that the lead flight attendant had been injured and was complaining of dizziness and nausea. The airplane was returned to the gate. The flight attendant reported that as the aircraft was being pushed back, it jerked, and he hit his head on a galley door. He received medical attention, and initial indication was that he had received a concussion and torn muscles to the neck and head.
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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,949 hours in all; 7,383 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 122
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEM at 7:40 pm
- Destination: BNA Nashville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 122 |
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.