Mcdonnell Douglas MD-90-30 incident near Salt Lake City, Utah, December 30, 2000
On December 30, 2000 at about 3:08 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-90-30, registered N909DA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Salt Lake City, Utah (Salt Lake City International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 80 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 captain's failure to maintain the proper glide path. Contributing factors were the weather conditions that included low visibility and fog.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 30, 2000 · about 3:08 pm local time
- Place
- Salt Lake City, Utah · Salt Lake City International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 80 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-90-30
- Registration
- N909DA · no longer on the register · serial 53389
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain's first approach briefing was based on an ATIS report, indicating a CAT III ILS approach to runway 16R could be expected. When descent instructions were given, however, the descent profile was for landings to the north and this was confirmed by a revised ATIS information. The captain, who was flying the airplane, briefed the first officer for a second time for a CAT III approach to runway 34R. Improved RVR made a Category I approach feasible, and the decision was made to execute this approach. The captain said he acquired the approach lights 100 feet above minimums, and saw the threshold and runway when the airplane arrived at minimums. He disconnected the autopilot. As he began to flare, the first officer announced that sink rate was increasing. The captain attempted to increase pitch. Touchdown was "firm but not hard and rollout was normal." Upon reaching the gate, the captain notified the control tower that he had "possibly touched down short of the runway." An airport operations vehicle reported observing an MD-90 land "prior to the numbers but had not touched down in the over run." Subsequent inspection revealed debris on runway 34R. The airplane struck the approach lights 400 feet short of the runway. Two threshold lights and one light each from the 100 foot and 200 foot approach light bars were found knocked off. The airplane sustained damage to the left main wheel splash guard, and one tire was cut. A one-inch square piece of metal was lodged in the left engine noise suppression material, and there was some damage to the left engine first stage fan section. At the time of the incident, Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS) Sierra was current: WIND, 330 degrees at 5 knots; VISIBILITY, less than 1/4-mile, freezing fog; SKY CONDITION, indefinite ceiling 100 feet; TEMPERATURE, -6 degrees Celsius; DEW POINT, -7 degrees Celsius; ALTIMETER, 30.24 inches of mercury; REMARKS, fog dispersal ongoing.
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 time: 18,000 hours in all; 5,410 in this make and model; 85 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: April 14, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 169 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,500 hours in all; 1,758 in this make and model; 169 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 25, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 16,411 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 29, 2000; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 156,000 lb
- Seats: 157
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Int'L Aero En V2528D5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCI Kansas City MO at 12:18 pm
- Destination: SLC Salt Lake City UT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 34R, 12,004 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.23 inHg
- Observation at 2:56 pm from SLC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 75 |
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 N909DA 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.