Boeing 757-24APF accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma, November 25, 1994
On November 25, 1994 at about 11:49 am local time, a Boeing 757-24APF, registered N413UP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Tulsa, Oklahoma (Tulsa International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN VREF DURING APPROACH AND HIS IMPROPER FLARE TOUCHDOWN THAT RESULTED IN AN EXCESSIVE PITCH UP ATTITUDE FOLLOWING TOUCHDOWN.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 25, 1994 · about 11:49 am local time
- Place
- Tulsa, Oklahoma · Tulsa International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-24APF · all 757-24APFs on the register
- Registration
- N413UP · registry record · serial 23853
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LANDING THE AIRCRAFT'S TAIL STRUCK THE RUNWAY. THE APPROACH WAS CLASSIFIED BY THE PILOT AND THE OPERATOR AS 'NORMAL' UNTIL AFTER TOUCH DOWN; HOWEVER IT WAS NOTED ON THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER THE AIRCRAFT DECELERATED TO VREF -8 BEFORE TOUCHDOWN AND FLOATED FOR 8 SECONDS. FOLLOWING THE TOUCH DOWN, THE PILOT ALLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO INCREASE THE PITCH UP ATTITUDE TO '10.9 DEGREES.' THE MANUFACTURER'S INSTRUCTIONS STATES THAT IF THE 'PITCH ATTITUDE SURPASSES 10.5 DEGREES WITH THE LANDING GEAR COMPRESSED THE TAIL WILL STRIKE THE RUNWAY.' THE PILOT HAD A HISTORY OF EXPERIMENTING WITH AERODYNAMIC BRAKING DURING LANDINGS.
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 instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,830 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 24, 1994; 3 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 250,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 2040 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SDF Louisville KY at 11:10 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18L, 10,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 am from TUL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.