Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-50 incident near Greer, South Carolina, February 7, 1983
On February 7, 1983 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-50, registered N421EA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Greer, South Carolina (Greenville-Spartanburg airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 39 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 7, 1983 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Greer, South Carolina · Greenville-Spartanburg · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 39 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-50 · all DC-9-50s on the register
- Registration
- N421EA · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT DRIFTED TO THE RIGHT BEFORE A MISSED APCH WAS INITIATED DURING WHICH IT MADE AN INADVERTENT TOUCHDOWN & STRUCK A RWY LIGHT. THE PLT ERRONEOUSLY USED RVR AS HIS LANDING MINIMUM. ACTUAL RVR WAS BELOW THE PUBLISHED MINIMUM. THE SEQUENCEFLASHER LIGHTS WERE NOT TURNED ON.
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: 10,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 7,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 am from GSP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 38 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N421EA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.