Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82 accident near Little Rock, Arkansas, June 2, 1999
On June 2, 1999 at about 4:51 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82, registered N215AA, was destroyed in an accident near Little Rock, Arkansas (Adams Field). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 11 people were killed, 45 people were seriously injured and 65 people had minor injuries; 24 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's failure to discontinue the approach when severe thunderstorms and their associated hazards to flight operations had moved into the airport area and the crew's failure to ensure that the spoilers had extended after touchdown. Contributing to the accident were the flight crew's (1) impaired performance resulting from fatigue and the situational stress associated with the intent to land under the circumstances, (2) continuation of the approach to a landing when the company's maximum crosswind component was exceeded, and (3) use of reverse thrust greater than 1.3 engine pressure ratio after landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 2, 1999 · about 4:51 am local time
- Place
- Little Rock, Arkansas · Adams Field
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 11 people were killed, 45 people were seriously injured and 65 people had minor injuries; 24 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82
- Registration
- N215AA · registry record · serial 49163
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The full report (NTSB/AAR-01-02) is available on the NTSB Web site. See http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/publictn.htm for details. On June 1, 1999, at 2350:44 central daylight time,1 American Airlines flight 1420, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82), N215AA, crashed after it overran the end of runway 4R during landing at Little Rock National Airport in Little Rock, Arkansas. Flight 1420 departed from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, about 2240 with 2 flight crewmembers, 4 flight attendants, and 139 passengers aboard and touched down in Little Rock at 2350:20. After departing the end of the runway, the airplane struck several tubes extending outward from the left edge of the instrument landing system (ILS) localizer array, located 411 feet beyond the end of the runway; passed through a chain link security fence and over a rock embankment to a flood plain, located approximately 15 feet below the runway elevation; and collided with the structure supporting the runway 22L approach lighting system. The captain and 10 passengers were killed; the first officer, the flight attendants, and 105 passengers received serious or minor injuries; and 24 passengers were not injured.2 The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and a postcrash fire. Flight 1420 was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 on an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan.
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
- Flight time: 10,234 hours in all; 54 in the last 90 days; 14 in the last 30 days; 7,384 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: fatal
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 4,292 hours in all; 182 in this make and model; 176 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 449,136 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, May 31, 1999
- Seats: 139
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: P&W JT8D-217C (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: P&W JT8D-217C (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: Dfw TX at 3:40 am
- Destination: Little Rock AR
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 4R, 7,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 280° at 18 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,000 ft; a few clouds at 3,700 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | 1 | |
| Passengers | 10 | 41 | 64 | 24 |
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.