Douglas DC-8-63F accident near Narrows, Virginia, December 22, 1996
On December 22, 1996 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Douglas DC-8-63F, registered N827AX, was destroyed in an accident near Narrows, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 6 people were killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the inappropriate control inputs applied by the flying pilot during a stall recovery attempt, the failure of the nonflying pilot-in-command to recognize, address, and correct these inappropriate control inputs, and the failure of ABX to establish a formal functional evaluation flight program that included adequate program guidelines, requirements and pilot training for performance of these flights. Contributing to the causes of the accident were the inoperative stick shaker stall warning system and the ABX DC-8 flight training simulator's inadequate fidelity in reproducing the airplane's stall characteristics. (NTSB Report AAR-97/05)
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 22, 1996 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Narrows, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 6 people were killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8-63F · all DC-8-63Fs on the register
- Registration
- N827AX · no longer on the register · serial 45901
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted mountainous terrain while on a post-modification functional evaluation flight (FEF). The pilot flying (PF) had applied inappropriate control column back pressure during the clean stall maneuver recovery attempt in an inadequate performance of the stall recovery procedure established in ABX's (Airborne Express) operations manual. The pilot not flying (PNF), in the right seat, was serving as the pilot-in-command and was conducting instruction in FEF procedures. The PNF failed to recognize, address and correct the PF's inappropriate control inputs. An inoperative stall warning system failed to reinforce to the flightcrew the indications that the airplane was in a full stall during the recovery attempt. The flightcrew's exposure to a low fidelity reproduction of the DC-8's stall characteristics in the ABX DC-8 flight training simulator was a factor in the PF holding aft (stall-inducing) control column inputs when the airplane began to pitch down and roll. The accident could have been prevented if ABX had institutionalized and the flightcrew had used the revised FEF flight stall recovery procedure agreed upon by ABX in 1991. The informality of the ABX FEF training program permitted the inappropriate pairing of two pilots for an FEF, neither of whom had handled the flight controls during an actual stall in the DC-8.
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
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,087 hours in all; 869 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: July 11, 1996
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,087 hours in all; 869 in this make and model; 34 in the last 90 days; 13 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: September 5, 1996
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 62,800 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 2 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 353,000 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: GSO Greensboro NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:07 pm from BLF, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 |
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.