Boeing 757-223 accident near Hayden, Colorado, March 27, 1992
On March 27, 1992 at about 8:18 pm local time, a Boeing 757-223, registered N615AM, was involved in an accident near Hayden, Colorado (Yampa Valley Regional airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 195 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE GROUND PERSONNEL TO FOLLOW PUBLISHED PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES. A FACTOR WAS THE INADEQUATE EQUIPMENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1992 · about 8:18 pm local time
- Place
- Hayden, Colorado · Yampa Valley Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 195 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-223 · all 757-223s on the register
- Registration
- N615AM · registry record · serial 24491
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT HAD REQUESTED THAT THE AIRPLANE BE PUSHEDBACK FROM THE TERMINAL APRON TO THE DE-ICING AREA PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. THE WEATHER WAS OVERCAST AND THERE WAS LIGHT PRECIPITATION WITH THE AMBIENT TEMPERATURE AROUND FREEZING. THE SIGNALMAN OPERATED THE HEADSET INTERPHONE WHICH WAS PLUGGED INTO THE COMMUNICATIONS PANEL ON THE NOSEGEAR STRUT. THE CREW CHIEF DIRECTED THE PUSHBACK FROM THE TRACTOR. THE SIGNALMAN WAS STRUCK BY THE NOSEWHEELS. ALL GROUND CREW PERSONNEL, EXCEPT THE SIGNALMAN, STATED THAT THEY HAD BEEN TRAINED BY VIDEO ON THE THREE MAN PUSHBACK PROCEDURES. THEY STATED, HOWEVER, THAT THEY DID NOT HAVE THE LONGER COMMUNICATIONS CORD AND THE CONNECTOR BOX ON THE TRACTOR, WHICH ARE NEEDED TO ACCOMPLISH THE PROCEDURES.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 439 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 7,790 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 241,000 lb
- Seats: 195
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-53-5E4B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: DFW Dfw Airport TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; scat at 1,200 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:13 pm from HDN, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | |||
| Passengers | 187 |
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.