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).
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 November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 1987 · about 7:05 pm local time · cases in 1987
- Place
- Ontario, California · Ontario · cases near this airport · 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 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N413AA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N413AA on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9 93 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Mcdonnell Douglas 254 aircraft on the register
- Engine: P&W J8D · as the NTSB recorded it
- Ontario International · nearest airport
- Dallas-Fort Worth International · bound for
- Accidents and incidents in California 9,080 since 1982 · 1,097 in the last ten years
- California 27,897 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N413AA 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX88IA009.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.