Douglas DC-8-62 accident near Wilmington, Ohio, March 20, 1996
On March 20, 1996 at about 9:25 pm local time, a Douglas DC-8-62, registered N803AX, was substantially damaged in an accident near Wilmington, Ohio (Airborne Airpark airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 3 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 pilot-in-command's inadequate visual lookout and the company/operator's inadequate crew/group coordination and communication during taxi and snow removal operations. Related factors were the snowy weather conditions affecting visibility and the snowplow on the taxiway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 20, 1996 · about 9:25 pm local time
- Place
- Wilmington, Ohio · Airborne Airpark · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8-62 · all DC-8-62s on the register
- Registration
- N803AX · no longer on the register · serial 45917
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Company personnel dispatched the aircraft while they simultaneously monitored the company snow removal crews on the taxiways and runways. Two supervisors, in separate vehicles with VHF/FM radios, were overseeing the snow removal operation. The pilot-in-command stated that his attention was on the snowbanks on the right side of the taxiway, when he suddenly noticed the snowplow at the left side of the airplane. The pilot was unable to stop the airplane before it struck the snowplow. The snowplow driver stated that he did not hear nor see the airplane taxiing, and the snow removal supervisors did not alert him to the airplane's movements. He believed that the airplanes were using a different runway, and that he was authorized to conduct snow removal operations on the taxiway. Postaccident examination revealed that the aircraft was on the taxiway centerline, and the snowplow was located on the left side of the taxiway. The visibility at the time of the collision was one mile with light snow and fog.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,378 hours in all; 4,875 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days; 9,798 as pilot in command; 2,896 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 59,701 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 19, 1996; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 335,000 lb
- Seats: 6
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D-3B/7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: ONT Ontario CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 12 knots, gusting 23
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from ILN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.