Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32 accident near Houston, Texas, October 21, 1992
On October 21, 1992 at about 4:23 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32, registered XAAMF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Houston, Texas (Intercontinental airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 29 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 VEHICLE OPERATOR'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN AN ADEQUATE VISUAL LOOKOUT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 21, 1992 · about 4:23 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Intercontinental
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 29 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-32 · all DC-9-32s on the register
- Registration
- XAAMF · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE AND WAS TAXIING OUT OF THE RAMP AREA ON THE TAXI LINE TO ITS ASSIGNED TAXIWAY WHEN IT WAS STRUCK BY A MOTOR GRADER. THE MOTOR GRADER OPERATOR DID NOT STOP PRIOR TO ENTERING THE RAMP AREA AND WAS NOT IN A VEHICLE LANE AT THE TIME OF THE COLLISION. THE MOTOR GRADER STRUCK AND LODGED ON ITS SIDE UNDER THE LEFT WING. THERE WAS REDUCED VISIBILITY DUE TO FOG AT THE AIRPORT.
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: 7,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,120 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 7, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 108,000 lb
- Seats: 109
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAH at 4:15 pm
- Destination: MCUN Cancun
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under XAAMF 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.