Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 incident near Denver, Colorado, March 21, 2006
On March 21, 2006 at about 4:12 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, registered N574AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Denver Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 138 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the captain's failure to follow existing company procedures for stabilized approach. **This report was modified on May 23, 2007.**
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 21, 2006 · about 4:12 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Denver Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 138 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 · all DC-9-82s on the register
- Registration
- N574AA · registry record · serial 53151
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the flight crew, the departure, en route, and initial approach phases were reported to be without incident. During the approach, the crew selected gear down and flaps 28 [degrees] for landing and the landing weight was 127,000 pounds. The air traffic control tower reported the winds at 100 degree and 6 knots. The airplane broke out of a thin cloud layer with the base at approximately 1,000 feet above ground level. At 100 feet above the runway, the captain detected a "sinker" and then applied thrust to arrest the sink. The aircraft continued to sink in the flare and made a "very firm landing with no bounce." A review of the DFDR data revealed that a few seconds prior to touchdown, the airspeed decreased 6 knots below Vref, and the pitch attitude changed from 2.1 degrees to 5.3 degrees. A vertical acceleration of 2.032 Gs was recorded at an airspeed of 129.2 knots. Vref was calculated at 135 knots. The pilot reported applying thrust when the sink rate was detected; however, the DFDR data revealed that the engine EPR's did not increase until 7 seconds after touchdown. According to company procedures, "A stabilized approach means the airplane must be: at approach speed (VREF + additives); on the proper flight path at the proper sink rate, and at stabilized thrust. These requirements must be maintained throughout the rest of the approach for it to be considered a stabilized approach. If the stabilized approach requirements cannot be satisfied by the minimum stabilized approach heights or maintained throughout the rest of the approach, a go-around is required." The CVR recording consisted of four channels of audio information; however, none of the audio was pertinent to the incident investigation. The audio was consistent with the CVR being overwritten or recorded over by subsequent events. **This narrative was modified on May 22, 2007.**
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,035 hours in all; 10,100 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 12,600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,700 hours in all; 3,400 in this make and model; 214 in the last 90 days; 81 in the last 30 days; 2,332 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 43,793 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 2006
- Maximum gross weight: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 139
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pratt & Whitney JT8D-200 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas-Fort Wor TX at 2:15 pm
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 35L, 12,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; a few clouds at 300 ft
- Temperature: 16°F (-9°C), dew point 10°F (-12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 pm from DEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 133 |
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.