Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 incident near Ontario, California, October 9, 1987
On October 9, 1987 at about 7:05 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, registered N413AA, was involved in an incident near Ontario, California (Ontario airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 79 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
FAILURE OF THE GENERAL AVIATION AIRCRAFT TO VISUALLY IDENTIFY THE TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT. FACTURES CONTRIBUTING TO THE INCIDENT WERE: FAILURE OF THE GENERAL AVIAITON AIRCRAFT TO ESTABLISH COMMUNICATIONS WITH ATC PRIOR TO ENTERING THE ARSA AND MAINTAINING A POOR LOOKOUT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 1987 · about 7:05 pm local time
- Place
- Ontario, California · Ontario · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 79 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 · all DC-9-82s on the register
- Registration
- N413AA · registry record · serial 49324
- 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 CLIMBING THRU 6,500 FEET MSL IN AN ARSA, THE FLT CREW OF THE AAL DC-9-82 OBSERVED A SMALL AIRCRAFT APPROACHING THEIR AIRCRAFT FROM DEAD AHEAD. THE SMALL AIRCRAFT WAS AT THE SAME ALTITUDE AND APROX 1/4 MILE AHEAD OF THEIR POSITION. THE SMALL AIRCRAFT WAS NOT COMMUNICATING WITH ATC AND CONTINUED ITS COLLISION COURSE TOWARDS THE TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT. THE DC-9-82 CREW INITIATED A RIGHT CLIMBING TURN AWAY FROM THE SMALL AIRCRAFT. THE CREW ESTIMATED THAT THE SMALL AIRCRAFT PASSED 50 FEET BELOW AND TO THE LEFT OF THEIR AIRCRAFT.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,930 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 140,000 lb
- Seats: 172
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W J8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ONT Ontario CA at 6:49 pm
- Destination: DFW Dallas/Ft Worth TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 12,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 pm from ONT, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 72 |
Other NTSB records under N413AA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 LAX88IA009.