- Date
- March 23, 1989, 07:48 local (13:48 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 98 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N447AAMcdonnell Douglas DC-9
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19890323018079I
- Case key
- 22800
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
Crew's failure to follow taxi instructions and to insure that they were on the proper runway prior to initiation of the takeoff roll.
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 airplane was cleared for takeoff on runway 12R, but a takeoff was made on runway 17. The south 2,200 feet of runway 17 was closed due to construction. This was noted by NOTAMS and ATIS and the crewmembers were aware of it. As the airplane rotated, the lower parts of it impacted sections of wooded barriers that had been placed across runway 17. The crew was imformed of possible damage and proceeded to destination where emergency equipment was waiting at landing. Airplane damage was minor. Seventy three days prior to this incident, another air carrier airplane was cleared for takeoff on runway 12R and also inadvertently departed on runway 17.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N447AA
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 49473
- Engine
- P&W JT8D, 14,000 horsepower, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Registered owner
- Conn. Nat. Bank Owner & Truste
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- HOU
- Destination
- DFW · Dfw Airport, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- HOU · William P. Hobby, runway 17, 6,000 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 972 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 315° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 45 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- HOU
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.