Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14 accident near Denver, Colorado, November 15, 1987
On November 15, 1987 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14, registered N626TX, was destroyed in an accident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 28 people were killed, 28 people were seriously injured and 25 people had minor injuries; 1 other was 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
- November 15, 1987 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 28 people were killed, 28 people were seriously injured and 25 people had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-14 · all DC-9-14s on the register
- Registration
- N626TX · no longer on the register · serial 45726
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report on this investigation is provided as Aviation Accident Report number AAR-88/09. To obtain a copy of this report, or to view the executive summary online, please see the Web site at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE MODERATE SNOW AND FREEZING TEMPS. FOLLOWING A 27 MINUTE DELAY BETWEEN DEICING AND DEPARTURE, ON TKOF THE ACFT WAS OVER-ROTATED BY THE F/O. ACFT CONTROL WAS LOST, THE ACFT STALLED AND IMPACTED OFF THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE RWY. COMPANY PROCEDURES CALLED FOR REPEAT DEICING WHEN IN ICING CONDITIONS IF A DELAY EXCEEDS 20 MINUTES. CONFUSION BETWEEN THE TOWER AND THE FLIGHT CREW DUE TO PROCEDURAL ERRORS RESULTED IN THE DELAYED TKOF CLRNC. BOTH PILOTS WERE INEXPERIENCED IN THEIR RESPECTIVE CREW POSITIONS. THE CAPT HAD 33 HRS EXPERIENCE AS A DC-9 CAPT. THE F/O HAD 36 HRS JET EXPERIENCE, ALL IN THE DC-9. F/O DEMONSTRATED WEAK SCAN IN TRNG AND HAD PLT PERFORMANCE PROBS WITH PREVIOUS EMPLOYERS. F/O WAS ON RESERVE, AND HAD NOT FLOWN FOR 24 DAYS. THE TRIP WAS ASSIGNED TO THE F/O FOR PROFICIENCY. FLT WAS F/O'S 2ND TRIP AS DC-9 F/O. WING VORTICES FROM A LANDING ACFT ON A PARALLEL RUNWAY WERE NOT A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT. (FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, SEE NTSB/AAR-88/09.)
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,125 hours in all; 166 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 90,700 lb
- Seats: 90
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8-D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Destination: BOI Boise ID
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35L, 11,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots, gusting 17
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:51 pm from DEN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | 1 | 1 | |
| Passengers | 25 | 27 | 24 | 1 |
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.