Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 accident near Portland, Oregon, November 11, 1998
On November 11, 1998 at about 7:20 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11, registered N801DE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Portland, Oregon (Portland International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 124 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's entry of an incorrect weight figure in the Flight Management System (FMS) computer, resulting in the approach being flown at an improper (low) Vref speed and an excessively nose-high attitude through the landing flare.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 11, 1998 · about 7:20 pm local time
- Place
- Portland, Oregon · Portland International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 124 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 · all MD-11s on the register
- Registration
- N801DE · no longer on the register · serial 48565
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew inadvertently entered an incorrect weight figure into the Flight Management System (FMS) computer. This resulted in the approach being flown at 136 knots instead of the correct airspeed of 151 knots. At this airspeed, the aircraft proceeded along the flight path at a pitch attitude of about eight (8) degrees instead of the three or four degrees that would have occurred at the correct airspeed. At this reduced airspeed and excessive attitude, the tail clearance during the flare was reduced to the point where the airframe contacted the runway surface.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 4,082 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,332 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 10, 1999; 5 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 625,000 lb
- Seats: 262
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW 4460 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CVG Cincinnati OH at 3:40 pm
- Destination: PDX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10R, 11,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from KPD, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 113 |
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.