Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32 accident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin, July 2, 1999
On July 2, 1999 at about 1:06 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, registered N502ME, was substantially damaged in an accident near Milwaukee, Wisconsin (General Mitchell Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The vehicle driver's inadvertent application of the accelerator pedal while backing towards the aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 2, 1999 · about 1:06 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin · General Mitchell Intl · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 9 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32 · all DC-9-32s on the register
- Registration
- N502ME · not in the FAA's current or past register files · serial 48132
- 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 lavatory service truck impacted the fuselage of the parked aircraft while the truck was being backed into position. The driver of the lavatory service truck reported that her foot slipped off the brake pedal and depressed the accelerator pedal. Marshallers were not used during lavatory servicing.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 54 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 41,567 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 25, 1999; 63 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 91
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 48132 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGA New York NY
- Destination: MCI Kansas City MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 253° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:56 pm from MKE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 5 |
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
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9 93 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mcdonnell Douglas 254 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W 48132 · as the NTSB recorded it
- General Mitchell International · nearest airport
- Laguardia Airport · departed from
- Kansas City International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Wisconsin 1,622 since 1982 · 225 in the last ten years
- Wisconsin 6,161 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI99FA208.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.