Mcdonnell Douglas DC9-31 incident near Minneapolis, Minnesota, November 16, 1988
On November 16, 1988 at about 2:50 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC9-31, registered N965VJ, suffered minor damage in an incident near Minneapolis, Minnesota (Minneapolis St Paul Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 106 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE CARCASS AND THE INGESTION OF THE TIRE DEBRIS INTO THE LEFT ENGINE WHICH HINDERED NORMAL OPERATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 16, 1988 · about 2:50 am local time
- Place
- Minneapolis, Minnesota · Minneapolis St Paul Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 106 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC9-31 · all DC9-31s on the register
- Registration
- N965VJ · no longer on the register · serial 47374
- 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 SCHEDULED COMMUTER FLT WAS BOARDED WITH PASSENGERS AND ACREW CONSISTING OF 3 FLIGHT ATTENDANTS, THE FIRST OFFICER AND THE CAPTAIN FOR A FLT TO PITTSBURG, PA. AFTER A GATE RELEASE, THE ACFT WAS TAXIED TO RWY 29R AND PREPARED FOR TAKEOFF. THE TAKEOFF ROLL PROGRESSED NORMALLY UNTIL A POINT 4,200 FEET FROM INITIATION. THE CREW REPORTED A VIBRATION AND THE LEFT ENG POWER DIMINISHED. THE TAKEOFF WAS ABORTED, BUT THE ACFT SPEED AT THE TIME OF THE ABORT AND RWY DISTANCE REMAINING WAS INSUFFICIENT TO AVOID DEPARTING THE END OF THE RWY. THE ACFT BECAME MIRED IN THE RAIN SOAKED TERRAIN UP TO THE AXLE. POST-INCIDENT EXAM OF THE LEFT MAIN GEAR TIRES INDICATED A FAILURE OF THE TIRE CARCASS. THE TIRES HAD BEEN RETREADED 300 AND 244 LANDINGS RESPECTIVELY PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CARCASS HOWEVER, HAD NO RECORDS TO SHOW AN OPERATIONAL OR REPLACEMENT HISTORY. THE REASON FOR THE FAILURE OF THE CARCASS WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE CAUSE OF THE INITIAL POWER LOSS ON THE LEFT ENG WAS FROM INJESTION OF TIRE DEBRIS.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 23,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 88 in the last 30 days; 14,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52,320 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 105,000 lb
- Seats: 117
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSP Minneapolis MN at 2:51 am
- Destination: PIT Pittsburgh PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 29R, 8,202 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 19 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:50 am from MSP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 101 |
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 N965VJ 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.