Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 incident near Tallahassee, Florida, December 8, 1989
On December 8, 1989 at about 5:55 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51, registered N404EA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Tallahassee, Florida (Tallahassee airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 34 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE FIRST OFFICER TO PROPERLY ALIGN THE AIRCRAFT FOR LANDING, AND THE CAPTAIN'S DELAY IN TAKING REMEDIAL ACTION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 1989 · about 5:55 pm local time
- Place
- Tallahassee, Florida · Tallahassee · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 34 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 · all DC-9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N404EA · no longer on the register
- 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 FIRST OFFICER, WHO WAS FLYING THE ILS APPROACH, NEVER ESTABLISHED THE AIRPLANE ON THE CENTERLINE AND 'CHASED' THE LOCALIZER NEEDLE. THE CAPTAIN TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE ABOUT 250 FEET AGL AND ATTEMPTED A SIDE STEP MANEUVER. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN IN A LEFT BANK AND THE LEFT WING TIP STRUCK THE RUNWAY.
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: 12,224 hours in all; 3,084 in this make and model; 157 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 2,330 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 37,533 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 139
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: TLH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27, 8,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from TLH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 29 |
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 N404EA 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.