- Date
- July 11, 1996, 13:00 local (17:00 UTC)
- Place
- Providence, RI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 21 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Standing
- Aircraft
- N744BASaab-Scania 340A
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 1, 1997
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19960711046129A
- Case key
- 39218
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 passenger inadvertently lost his balance and fell, while deplaning.
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 operator stated the following: 'As passengers deplaned at Providence, [a passenger] appeared to lose his balance as he started down the aircraft stairs. As he fell, he turned to grab the hand rail. A passenger service agent located at the bottom of the stairs tried to catch him as he fell. [The passenger] ended up at the bottom of the aircraft stairs on his back. Airport emergency service [attended the passenger's] injuries, and he was transported to the hospital.'
Factual narrative
On July 11, 1996, about 1300 eastern daylight time, a Saab SF340A, N744BA, operated by Business Express Airlines Inc., as flight number 4772, was deplaning when a passenger fell from the steps and received serious injuries. The scheduled, commuter air carrier, passenger flight departed La Guardia Airport, New York, destined for Theodore Francis Green State Airport, Providence, Rhode Island. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed, and visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.
In the NTSB form 6120.1/2, the operator stated:
"As passengers deplaned at Providence, [a passenger] appeared to lose his balance as he started down the aircraft stairs. As he fell, he turned to grab the hand rail. A passenger service agent located at the bottom of the stairs tried to catch him as he fell. [The passenger] ended up at the bottom of the aircraft stairs on his back. Airport emergency services [attended the passenger's] injuries, and he was transported to the hospital."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N744BA
- Reported as
- Saab-Scania 340A
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 340A-105
- Airframe hours
- 18,159
- Engine
- GE CT7-5A2, 1,735 horsepower, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Business Express Airlines
- Registered owner
- Banciireland Airplane Lease In
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 3, 1996 · 79 hours before
- Departed
- LGA · New York, NY
- Destination
- PVD
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PVD · Theodore Francis Green St
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
- 38
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,000 total · 3,500 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.