- Date
- October 30, 1988, 11:33 local (17:33 UTC)
- Place
- Memphis, TN
- Injuries
- 42 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Taxi
- Aircraft
- N918RWMcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report January 16, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19881030048499A
- Case key
- 7859
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft was being taxied to the gate when its right wingtip struck a catering truck that had been driven off of the designated driving lanes & partially onto the taxiway. The flt crew rprtd that the truck was traveling in the same direction within the designated driving lanes when they last observed it. Shortly after the cockpit area of the acft passed the truck, they felt an impact. Witnesses rprtd the truck left the driving lanes as the driver was maneuvering around other ground vehicles that were obstructing the driving lanes. FAA & arpt rules required that vehicles drivers obtain permission from the tower before crossing or operating on runways or taxiways. Also, arpt rules stated that vehicle drivers shall yield to taxiing acft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N918RW
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 47158
- Engine
- P&W JT8D, 14,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Northwest Airlines, doing business as Northwest Airlines
- Registered owner
- Northwest Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- CMH · Columbus, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MEM · Memphis Intl
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 41
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,750 total · 5,000 in this make and model · 128 in the last 90 days · 67 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 8 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,600 ft broken
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 39 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MEM
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.