Douglas DC-9-82 incident near 20N Bryce, Utah, April 2, 1983
On April 2, 1983 at about 11:13 pm local time, a Douglas DC-9-82, registered N1004F, was involved in an incident near 20N Bryce, Utah. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 146 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 1983 · about 11:13 pm local time
- Place
- 20N Bryce, Utah
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 146 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-82 · all DC-9-82s on the register
- Registration
- N1004F · registry record · serial 48090
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CRUISING AT FL 350 THE FLT EXPERIENCED A FLAME-OUT OF BOTH ENGINES. THE CREW DECLARED AN EMERGENCY TO SALT LAKE ARTC CENTER & THE FLT WAS VECTORED TOWARD PAGE,AZ FOR A POSSIBLE EMERGENCY LANDING. AT 12,200 FT THE CAPTAIN RESTARTED BOTH ENGINES BY SWITCHING THE CENTER TANK BOOST PUMPS ON. THE ACFT THEN CLIMBED TO 17,000 FT & DIVERTED TO LAS VEGAS, LANDING AT 1604 WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. THE FLT HAD DEPARTED MINNEAPOLIS WITH THE PROPER FUEL LOAD. HOWEVER, THE CREW WAS DISTRACTED FROM THE CLIMB CHECKLIST AFTER DEPARTURE BY A HEADING CHANGE & A KNOB COMING OFF THE DIGITAL FLIGHT GUIDANCE SYSTEM WHILE THE CAPTAIN WAS SETTING IN A NEW HEADING. AS A RESULT, THE ITEM OF 'FUEL PUMPS-CHECKED' WAS MISSED& THE CENTER TANK PUMPS WERE NEVER TURNED ON. DURING THE RESTART THE CAPTAIN REALIZED THE OMISSION & CORRECTED IT. THE FLT HAD BEEN ON THE MAIN TANKS WHICH WERE EXHAUSTED CAUSING THE FLAME-OUTS. THE CENTER WING TANK CONTAINED ABOUT 13,500 POUNDS OF FUEL.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,336 hours in all; 4,192 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 9,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,072 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 1, 1983; 6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 147,000 lb
- Seats: 150
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSP Minneapolis MN at 8:54 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 60 knots
- Visibility: 100 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 139 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX83IA174.