Mcdonnell Douglas DC9-51 incident near Honolulu, Hawaii, August 20, 1988
On August 20, 1988 at about 4:26 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC9-51, registered N689HA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Honolulu, Hawaii (Honolulu Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 144 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE AIRCRAFTS ENCOUNTER WITH THE ENGINE EXHAUST FLOW AND RELATED TURBULENCE FROM A HEAVY BOEING 747, WHICH CROSSED THE APPROACH END OF THE RUNWAY ABOUT 1 MINUTE AND TEN SECONDS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 20, 1988 · about 4:26 pm local time
- Place
- Honolulu, Hawaii · Honolulu Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 144 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC9-51 · all DC9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N689HA · no longer on the register · serial 47663
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE HAWAIIAN DC9 WAS CLEARED TO LAND ON RWY 8L. ALL PASSENGER AIRCRAFT DEPARTING RWY 8R FROM THE PASSENGER TERMINAL MUST CROSS THE APPROACH END OF RWY 8L. A HEAVY BOEING 747 CROSSED THE APPROACH END OF RWY 8L ENROUTE TO 8R ABOUT 1 MINUTE AND 10 SECONDS PRIOR TO THE TOUCHDOWN OF THE DC9. THE DC9 CREW SAID THE APPROACH WAS STABILIZED AT VREF PLUS 10 WITH A 600 FPM DESCENT RATE. AT 50 FEET AGL OVER THE APPROACH END OF THE RWY. THE AIRSPEED SUDDENLY DECREASED TO VREF AND A HIGH SINK RATE DEVELOPED. THE PILOT FLYING WAS ABLE TO ARREST THE DESCENT RATE WITH POWER AND A PITCH ATTITUDE INCREASE. THE PITCH ATTITUDE WAS BEYOND THE 10.4 DEGREE PITCH ATTITUDE REQUIRED TO STRIKE THE TAIL SKID. THE TAIL SKID BROKE OFF AND DAMAGED SOME INTERNAL MEMBERS IN THE TAIL AREA.
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: 11,528 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 214 in the last 90 days; 73 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 116,000 lb
- Seats: 146
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8D-17 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Hawaiian Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: KOA Kona HI at 7:00 pm
- Destination: HNL Honolulu HI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8L, 12,360 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from HNL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| 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.
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.