Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 accident near Flushing, New York, May 13, 1997
On May 13, 1997 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88, registered N984DL, suffered minor damage in an accident near Flushing, New York (Laguardia airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 111 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The vehicle's driver failure to maintain adequate clearance from and resulted in a collision with a parked aircraft.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 1997 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- Flushing, New York · Laguardia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 111 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88
- Registration
- N984DL · no longer on the register · serial 53311
- 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 McDonnell Douglas MD-88 was parked at its gate and boarding passengers. An 18 wheel tractor-trailer had been parked between gates 5 and 6 at LaGuardia Airport, to deliver tires. When the driver of the truck was advised that he would have to move the vehicle due to an airplane inbound for gate 5, he got into the truck and moved it without a ground guide. A witness observed the driver steer the truck cab around which then hit the right wing tip of the MD-88. The airplane pivoted around the main gear which were chocked, and the nose moved approximately 4 1/2 feet to the right, away from the jetway. A passenger was stepping from the jetway into the airplane, when the airplane moved, and the passenger fell 8 feet to the ground.
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: 5,469 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT80219 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGA
- Destination: DFW Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 106 |
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.