Douglas DC-9-15F accident near Kansas City, Missouri, March 5, 1999
On March 5, 1999 at about 4:00 am local time, a Douglas DC-9-15F, registered N195US, was substantially damaged in an accident near Kansas City, Missouri (Kansas City International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ingestion of birds into both engines, resulting in foreign object damage and the subsequent partial power loss to both engines. A factor relating to this accident was the dark night.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 5, 1999 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Kansas City, Missouri · Kansas City International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-15F · all DC-9-15Fs on the register
- Registration
- N195US · no longer on the register · serial 47017
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was cleared to land on runway 19R at the Kansas City International Airport. The first officer said that the airplane was on speed and on course for the visual approach. 'The captain had just called the 1,000 feet [above the ground] call when a flock of snow geese suddenly illuminated in our lights, engulfing us from below, flying into us. No birds hit the windshields, but it was immediately apparent they had flown into the engines.' The captain said that he had the airplane, advanced the power on both engines, and ordered the first officer to reset the flaps to 30 degrees, the single- engine flap position. 'The number one engine continued to compressor stall. The number two engine went to a sub-idle run condition.' The captain reduced the power on the number one engine 'enough to lessen the surge/stall condition to a rate of once every two seconds, which allowed just enough thrust to maintain the approach and to lower the vibration. The number one engine continued to compressor stall/surge to touchdown.' The touchdown was normal. Examination of the airplane revealed bird remains and substantial damage to both engines. No other anomalies were found.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 10,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,725 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 4, 1999; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 91,700 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA at 2:25 am
- Destination: MCI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 19R, 10,801 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 150° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 am from MCI, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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 CHI99FA102.