Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88 accident near Covington, Kentucky, November 3, 1998
On November 3, 1998 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88, registered N919DL, suffered minor damage in an accident near Covington, Kentucky (Cincinnati/No. Kentucky airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 112 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 driver's failure to maintain control of the belt loader. A factor in the accident was the precipitation which may have contributed to the driver's foot slipping off the brake and onto the accelerator, as he approached the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1998 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Covington, Kentucky · Cincinnati/No. Kentucky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 112 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-88
- Registration
- N919DL · no longer on the register · serial 49584
- 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 airplane was chalked at terminal gate with ground power applied. The ground crew then initiated the 'off loading' process. A ground crewmember who was operating a belt loader approached the airplane and as the belt loader approached the 'C1' door, it began to slow down. The belt loader then accelerated forward, struck the airplane and pinned the driver between the seat back of the belt loader and the airplane's fuselage. The driver of the belt load stated his foot slipped off the brake and onto the accelerator. Examination of the belt loader did not revealed any mechanical malfunctions. Light rain was falling at the time of the accident.
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: 17,000 hours in all; 1,432 in this make and model; 108 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: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GRR Grand Rapids MI at 8:45 pm
- Destination: CVG
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 2.5 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 800 ft; scat at 600 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:54 pm from CVG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 107 |
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.