# Accident 19970107045859A: Aerosp ATR42320, Houston, TX, January 7, 1997 - Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported - Date: January 7, 1997, 19:47 local time - Place: Houston, TX - Airport: Houston Intercontinental Airport - Damage: Substantial damage - Phase of flight: Ground Taxi, Other Airplane - Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121) - Operator: C2XA - Location: 29.5592° N, 95.1006° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=29.5592&lon=-95.1006&mi=10 - Aircraft: N14829, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N14829-2002-04-30) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry model: Aerospatiale/Aeritalia ATR 42-320 (registry code 8680930, https://openairdocs.org/model/aerospatiale-aeritalia-atr-42-320) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW121 (registry code 52124, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-canada-pw121) (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AEROSP ATR42320 - Reported engine: PWA PW121 - People aboard: 10 - Fatal injuries: 0 - Pilot flight hours: 4,991 total, 2,066 in this make and model, 240 in the last 90 days - NTSB investigation: [NTSB FTW97LA081](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA081) (OpenAirDocs) - FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/) - Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970107045859A ## Narrative As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^. (.4)THE AIRPLANE TAXIED OFF THE HARD SURFACE INTO THE SOFT GRASS, COMING TO REST ABOUT 50 FEET BEYOND THE EDGE OF THE HARD SURFACE TAXIWAY. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT AFTER TURNING SOUTH ON NK, HE TAXIED THE AIRPLANE TOWARDS THE IAB TERMINAL, AND SAW WHAT APPEARED TO BE A HARD SURFACE RAMP TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE AND HE PROCEEDED TO MAKE A LEFT TURN BELIEVING THAT HE WAS NOW TAXIING ON THE IAB RAMP. THE CAPTAIN REPORTED THAT THE AIRPORT DIAGRAM ON THE JEPPESEN CHARTS SHOWED THE INTERSECTION OF NK AND THE IAB RAMP TO BE A 'T' OR 90 DEGREE TURN, BUT IN REALITY, THE INTERSECTION IS CONSTRUCTED AT A 45 DEGREE ANGLE TO THE LEFT OF TAXIWAY NK WHICH JOINS THE IAB RAMP. THE PILOT FURTHER STATED THAT NO LIGHTS WERE AVAILABLE TO OUTLINE THE EDGE OF THE RAMP AREA. HE ADDED THAT HE CONTINUED TO TAXI IN AN EAST DIRECTION, BELIEVING THAT HE WAS ON THE IAB RAMP. ACCORDING TO THE AIRPORT'S OPERATIONS PERSONNEL, THE TAXIWAY IS PROPERLY MARKED WITH A SOLID CENTER LINE AND THE AREA IS BORDERED BY A DOUBLE YELLOW LINE DELINEATING THE EDGE OF THE TAXIWAY. ADDITIONALLY, AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, RECESSED TAXIWAY LIGHTS WERE IN PLACE TO FURTHER DELINEATE THE EDGE OF THE TAXIWAY. (-23) ON JANUARY 7, 1997 AT 1947 CENTRAL STANDARD TIME, AN AEROSPATIALE ATR-42-320,N 14829, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHILE TAXIING AT THE HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT, HOUSTON, TEXAS. THREE PASSENGERS SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES AND THERE WERE NOT INJURIES TO THE 3 CREWMEMBERS AND THE REMAINING 109 PASSENGERS. THE AIRPLANE, OWNED AND OPERATED BY CONTINENTAL EXPRESS AIRLINES AS JETLINK FLIGHT 3777, WAS ON A SCHEDULED FLIGHT FROM SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA OT THE HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL AIRPORT. NIGHT VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITONS PREVAILED FOR THE SCHEDULED TITLE 14 CFR 121 FLIGHT FOR WHICH AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRPLANE DEPARTED FROM SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA AT APPROXIMATELY 1900. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THE AIRPLANE LANDED ON RUNWAY 08 AND WAS CLEARED TO THEIR GATE IN TERMINAL "C" VIA TAXIWAYS NG AND NK. WHILE TAXIING ON TAXIWAY NK, NEAR THE INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL BUILDING, THE AIRPLANE TAXIED OFF THE HARD SURFACE INTO THE GRASS AND THE NOSE LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. THE PASSENGERS DEPLANED THE AIRCRAFT AND WERE BUSSED TO THE TERMINAL BUILDING. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE PRESSURE BULKHEAD. ## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1) From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. - [NTSB FTW97LA081](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/FTW97LA081), Jan 8, 1997: Aerospatiale ATR-42-320 (N14829), Houston, TX, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to follow the proper taxi route while taxiing back to the terminal. A factor was the glare radiating from the airport's terminal area. ## Other reports on N14829 (1) Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date. - [Incident 19960922037169I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19960922037169I), Sep 22, 1996: Aerosp ATR42320 (N14829), Cleveland, OH, Minor damage. Narrative: flight bra 3283 (coex), N14829, lightning strike 40 mi. Sw cle returned to cle. Aircraft ferried to burlington, VT for inspection & maintenance.… From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.