Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 accident near Dfw Airport, Texas, December 27, 1998
On December 27, 1998 at about 1:40 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88, registered N907DE, was involved in an accident near Dfw Airport, Texas (Dfw International Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 49 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A passenger sustained a hairline fracture during an emergency evacuation of the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 1998 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Dfw Airport, Texas · Dfw International Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 49 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88
- Registration
- N907DE · no longer on the register · serial 53416
- 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 flight crew neglected to turn the ignition switch on during a delayed right engine start prior to taking the active runway for departure. During the second attempt to start the engine, an overtemp occurred and a tailpipe fire ensued. Tower personnel observed flames coming out of the exhaust stack and alerted the flight crew. The flight crew reported that they had experienced a 'hot start,' but according to their indications in the cockpit, the fire was out. The flight crew of an airplane in sequence behind the jet reported that the fire lingered in the exhaust. Personnel in the control tower confirmed that the engine was still on fire. The captain commanded an evacuation from the two doors on the left side of the airplane. All passengers were off the aircraft within 20 seconds of slide deployment. A passenger slid down the aft door slide past the awaiting crew members, twisting her right ankle. Subsequent medical reports and X-rays revealed she sustained a hairline fracture of a bone in her right ankle. The ignition and fuel systems for the right engine were inspected, no defects were found, and the airplane was returned to service.
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: 7,990 hours in all; 2,893 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,695 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 2, 1998; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8D-219 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: DFW
- Destination: CVG Cincinnati OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 160° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from DFW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 44 |
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.