Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 incident near Los Angeles, California, May 1, 1993
On May 1, 1993 at about 4:13 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11, registered N803DE, suffered minor damage in an incident near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 277 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S IMPROPER FLARE AND IMPROPER RECOVERY FROM A BOUNCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 1, 1993 · about 4:13 am local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 277 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 · all MD-11s on the register
- Registration
- N803DE · no longer on the register · serial 48474
- 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 PILOT WAS INSTRUCTED TO GO-AROUND ON HIS FIRST APPROACH DUE TO PRECEDING TRAFFIC ON THE RUNWAY. AFTER THE SECOND APPROACH, HE ALLOWED THE AIRPLANE'S DESCENT RATE TO BECOME EXCESSIVE, AND IT TOUCHED DOWN FIRMLY AND BOUNCED. THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN WAS ALSO FIRM. DURING THE LANDING ROLL-OUT, THE AIRPLANE VIBRATED, BUT WAS CONTROLLED WITH BRAKES AND ENGINE REVERSING. A POST-FLIGHT EXAM REVEALED DAMAGE TO BOTH NOSE GEAR TIRES AND WHEEL RIMS, SMALL HOLES IN THE FUSELAGE AFT OF THE NOSE GEAR, AND INGESTION OF TIRE RUBBER IN THE #1 ENGINE.
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: 21,150 hours in all; 1,250 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,572 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 24, 1993
- Maximum gross weight: 602,500 lb
- Seats: 240
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W PW4460 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK at 9:45 pm
- Destination: LAX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24R, 8,925 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft; not recorded at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:21 am from LAX, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 14 | |||
| Passengers | 263 |
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 N803DE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.