Douglas DC-9-31 accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota, December 20, 1983
On December 20, 1983 at about 7:17 pm local time, a Douglas DC-9-31, registered N994Z, was substantially damaged in an accident near Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Joe Foss Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people had minor injuries; 84 others were unhurt. 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 accident. 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
- December 20, 1983 · about 7:17 pm local time
- Place
- Sioux Falls, South Dakota · Joe Foss Field · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 84 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-31 · all DC-9-31s on the register
- Registration
- N994Z · no longer on the register · serial 47097
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING THE CREW ACQUIRED VISUAL REFERENCE WITH THE GROUND & APCH LIGHTS ABOUT 200 FT AGL, FOLLOWED BY VISUAL SIGHTING OF THE RWY. SINCE THE ATIS REPORTED BLOWING SNOW, THE CREW EXPECTED TO SEE, & WAS NOT SURPRISED TO SEE, SNOW BLOWING ACROSS THE RWY ABOUT 2,000 FT BEYOND THE THRESHOLD. AT ABOUT 2,200 FT DOWN THE RWY THE ACFT ENTERED A CLOUD OF SNOW, & THE RIGHT WING STRUCK A LARGE SNOW SWEEPING VEHICLE WHICH WAS TRAVELING IN THE SAME DIRECTION & TO THE RIGHT OF THE RWY CENTERLINE. THE ACFT'S RIGHT WING SEPARATED & IT SWERVED OFF THE RWY. NEITHER THE APPROACH CONTROLLER NOR THE LOCAL CONTROLLER ADVISED THE FLT OF SNOW REMOVAL OPERATIONS, NOR DID THE LOCAL CONTROLLER COMMUNICATE WITH THE SWEEPER AFTER HE TOOK THE HAND-OFF OF THE FLT FROM APPROACH CONTROL. HE ALSO STATED HE DID NOT KNOW WHERE THE SWEEPER WAS WHEN HE CLEARED THE FLT TO LAND.
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: 25,217 hours in all; 9,776 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 104,000 lb
- Seats: 110
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: SUX Sioux City IA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 8,999 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: -9°F (-23°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 79 |
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.