Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 incident near Orlando, Florida, August 25, 1984
On August 25, 1984 at about 10:28 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51, registered N411EA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Orlando, Florida (Orlando airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 96 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 25, 1984 · about 10:28 pm local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · Orlando
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 96 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 · all DC-9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N411EA · registry record · serial 47732
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
JUST PRIOR TO V1 AND ROTATION BOTH LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRES FAILED. TAKEOFF WAS ABORTED AND ACFT WAS STOPPED ON RWY. PAX & CREW DEPLANED WITHOUT INJURY. CAUSE OF TIRE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.
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: 14,404 hours in all; 8,941 in this make and model; 45 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,546 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 121,000 lb
- Seats: 139
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eastern Airlines (Eala)
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL at 10:27 pm
- Destination: HED Hartford CT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18, 12,004 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from MCO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 91 |
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.