Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32 incident near Dubuque, Iowa, April 9, 1999
On April 9, 1999 at about 2:30 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, registered N205ME, was involved in an incident near Dubuque, Iowa. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 91 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the frozen elevator control. Factors to the incident were the rain and the low temperature.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 9, 1999 · about 2:30 pm local time · cases in 1999
- Place
- Dubuque, Iowa · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 91 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32 · all DC-9-32s on the register
- Registration
- N205ME · registry record · serial 47601
- 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 airplane departed in rain with a surface temperature of 39 degrees Fahrenheit. Upon reaching cruise altitude, the flight crew discovered that the elevator control '...was found to be frozen and would not move.' The pilot said that the aircraft was flown using primary and alternate trim until a descent was made to 'warmer air', and the '... elevator thawed out...' and normal control was regained. An inspection of the aircraft after the incident failed to reveal any anomalies with respect or the aircraft or aircraft systems. On two other occasions, Midwest Express Airlines (MWEA) DC9 aircraft have experienced elevator control difficulties. On these occurrences, the aircraft departed in rain with temperatures of 46 degrees Fahrenheit and 39 degrees Fahrenheit respectively. On one of the occurrences, MWEA maintenance personnel found ice accretions in the elevator control bay of the vertical stabilizer.
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: 17,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 44,776 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 1, 1999; 646 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 91
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MKE Milwaukee WI at 2:20 pm
- Destination: OMA Omaha NE
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 17 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 pm from MKE
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 85 |
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
- N205ME on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9 93 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mcdonnell Douglas 254 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A 5 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- General Mitchell International · departed from
- Eppley Airfield · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in Iowa 871 since 1982 · 131 in the last ten years
- Iowa 4,514 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/CHI99IA136.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.