McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 N820NY
1 March 1989 · Houston, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 1 March 1989 at about 16:37 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 registered N820NY, operated by Continental Airlines, was involved in an incident near Houston, Texas, United States. 185 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 16:37
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82
- Registration
- N820NY
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Continental Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- San Antonio → Houston
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW89IA064
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 185 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 185 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE TRACON FINAL APPROACH CONTROLLER TO ASSURE RADAR SEPARATION BETWEEN THE AIRCRAFT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: INADEQUATE SUPERVISION BY THE ATC SUPERVISOR, EXCESSIVE WORKLOAD FOR THE CONTROLLER, UNCLEAR INSTRUCTIONS BY THE CONTROLLER, AND A MISUNDERSTANDING OF THE ATC CLEARANCE BY THE FLIGHT CREW OF CONTINENTAL FLIGHT 122.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
TWA FLT 806 (DC-9) WAS NW OF ARPT (FOR ILS RWY 9 APCH) AS CONTINENTAL FLT 122 (DC-9) WAS SW OF ARPT FOR SAME APCH. BOTH WERE IN IMC, BEING VCTRD BY FINAL TRACON CTLR (WORKING 2 SECTORS & CTLG 23 ACFT). AS FLT 122 WAS APCHG LOCALIZER (LOC) & HDG 060 DEG AT 3000' MSL, FLT 806 WAS ABT 8 MI NW OF FLT 122 & WAS CLRD TO INTERCEPT LOC. CTLR TMTD TO FLT 122 'FOUR FM THE MARKER, MAINT 2000 UNTIL ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC, CLRD ILS RWY 9 APCH, AND ARE YOU GOING THRU THE LOC TOO?' FLT 122 REPLIED 'YES SIR, YOU NEVER TOLD US TO INTERCEPT.' CTLR THEN TOLD FLT 122 'MAINT 3500 & TURN LEFT 360,' MEANING TO TURN TO A HDG OF 360 DEG. FLT 122 THOUGHT CTLR WANTED A 360 DEG CIRCLING TURN & BGN A RGT TURN. WHILE CIRCLING, FLT 122 ASKED FOR A HDG TO ROLL OUT ON. CTLR SAID TO FLY HDG 230. CTLR THEN REALIZED THE 2 ACFT WERE CONVERGING. HE TOLD FLT 122 TO DCND TO 2000' & TMTD FOR 'CONTINENTAL 806' TO MAINT 3500'. SINCE CTLR USED WRONG COMPANY DESIGNATOR, TWA FLT 806 DID NOT RESPOND. RADAR SHOWED THE 2 ACFT PASSED AT ABT 3100' WITH .079 MI SEPN.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 DC-9-82 | N820NY | Continental Airlines | - |
| McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 DC-9-82 | N918TW | Trans World Airlines | - |
Other McDonnell Douglas DC-9 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 May 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 | Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Jul 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 | Tallahassee, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Dec 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 | Chicago, Illinois, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Feb 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32F | Salt Lake City, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Mar 1989 | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-33F | Saginaw, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 Apr 1989 | Cessna 150 | San Antonio, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Apr 1989 | Mooney M20J | Jasper, Texas, United States | Stratton, William A. | Serious injuries | - |
| 6 Apr 1989 | Beechcraft V35B | Lampasas, Texas, United States | Phil P. O'neal | Serious injuries | - |
| 20 May 1989 | Piper PA-24-250 | Decatur, Texas, United States | Frazier, David R. | No injuries | - |
| 24 May 1989 | Beechcraft A36TC | Amarillo, Texas, United States | L.l.pownell | No injuries | - |
| 30 May 1989 | Piper PA-32R | Stratford, Texas, United States | Sherman Implement Co. | No injuries | - |