- Date
- September 20, 1989, 23:21 local (Sep 21, 1989, 03:21 UTC)
- Place
- Flushing, NY
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 3 serious, 18 minor, 40 uninjured
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N416USBoeing 737-400
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 8, 1992
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19890920035599A
- Case key
- 15921
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The captain's failure to exercise his command authority in a timely manner to reject the takeoff or take sufficient control to continue the takeoff, which was initiated with a mistrimmed rudder. Also causal was the captain's failure to detect the mistrimmed rudder before the takeoff was attempted.
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
As the first officer began the takeoff he felt the airplane drift right. The capt noticed the drift also & used nosewheel tiller to help steer. The crew then heard a 'bang' and a continual rumbling noise. The capt then took over & rejected the takeoff but did not stop the airplane before running off the end of the rwy and colliding with a wooden approach lighting pier. The airplane came to rest partially submerged in water. The rudder trim position was found to be 16 deg, or full, left deflection of rudder. The dfdr recorded this position from engine start at the gate. (NTSB/AAR-90/03)
Aircraft
- Registration
- N416US
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-400
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 2,235
- Engine
- CFM CFM-56-3B2, turbo fan
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Usair
- Registered owner
- Usair
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 3, 1989
- Destination
- Charlotte, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LGA · La Guardia, runway 31, 7,000 × 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
- 36
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Military, Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 5,525 total · 2,625 in this make and model · 122 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LGR, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.