Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31 accident near Orlando, Florida, October 7, 1989
On October 7, 1989 at about 10:50 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31, registered N958VJ, was involved in an accident near Orlando, Florida (Orlando Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 107 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE WEATHER EVALUATION AND INADEQUATE SUPERVISION OF THE GROUND GUIDE (MECHANIC) BY COMPANY/OPERATOR/MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL, FAILURE OF THE GROUND GUIDE TO FOLLOW SAFETY PROCEDURES, AND THE WEATHER CONDITION (LIGHTNING).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 1989 · about 10:50 pm local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · Orlando Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 107 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · all DC-9-31s on the register
- Registration
- N958VJ · no longer on the register · serial 47351
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
RAINFALL BECAME MODERATE TO HEAVY AS THE ACFT WAS BEING PUSHED BACK IN PREPARATION FOR FLT. DURING THAT TIME, LIGHTNING STRUCK THE TAIL OF THE ACFT WHILE A MECHANIC (GROUND GUIDE) WAS WEARING A HEADSET CONNECTED TO THE ACFT. THE LIGHTNING TRAVELED THRU THE ACFT & FATALLY INJURED THE MECHANIC. WITNESSES & SUPERVISORS STATED THAT THEY HAD OBSERVED LIGHTNING IN THE AREA BEFORE THE ACDNT, BUT THEY HAD NOT OBSERVED ANY FOR ABOUT 15 MIN; PUSH BACK WAS INITIATED AFTER PHONE CONVERSATION WITH TOWER PSNL. THE AIRLINE'S SAFETY MANUAL PROHIBITED GROUND GUIDE OPN DURING PERIODS OF OBSERVED LIGHTNING.
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: 12,800 hours in all; 180 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 104,000 lb
- Seats: 116
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: US Air
The flight
- Departed from: MCO at 10:50 pm
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 030° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:20 am from MCO, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 102 |
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.