# NTSB NYC99LA076: Boeing 737-300, N17321, Newark, NJ, March 17, 1999 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: March 17, 1999, 15:40 local (20:40 UTC) - Place: Newark, NJ - Location: 40.6925° N, 74.1687° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at NEWARK LIBERTY INTL (EWR), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.6925&lon=-74.1687&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Standing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/150) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 108 uninjured - Status: Completed, report August 3, 2000 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 46010 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC99LA076 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/46010/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC99LA076 ## Probable cause The flight attendant's failure to follow cabin door opening procedures. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Miscellaneous/other, standing - engine(s) not operating - procedures/directives - not followed, flight attendant (cause) ## Analysis +The flight attendant fell from the main cabin doorway of a Boeing 737, to the tarmac, while the airplane was parked. The airplane had been completely closed and the jetway pushed back in preparation for departure. An agent appeared at the end of the jetway, and asked if two additional passengers could board. The captain agreed to do so, and the agent proceeded back up the jetway to get the additional passengers, without moving the jetway back to the airplane. The flight attendant was advised of the situation. The captain then made a pre-departure announcement over the public address system, and when it was completed, a passenger advised him that the flight attendant had fallen from the airplane. At the time of the accident, the flight attendant had been flying with the company for 4 months. According to the airline's written procedures, the flight attendant was required to disarm, and 'crack' the cabin door, by rotating the handle enough to break the seal. The gate agent would have been responsible for actually opening the door. If the gate agent had specifically asked for assistance, then the flight attendant would have helped to open the cabin door. ## Factual narrative On March 17, 1999, about 1540 Eastern Standard Time, a flight attendant was seriously injured when she fell from the main cabin doorway of a Boeing 737-300, N17321, to the tarmac, at Newark International Airport (EWR), Newark, New Jersey. The airplane, which was operating as Continental Airlines flight 517, was parked at the gate. The 2 pilots, 2 additional flight attendants, and 104 passengers onboard were not injured, and there was no damage to the airplane. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. An instrument flight rules flight plan had been filed for the flight, between Newark and Jacksonville International Airport (JAX), Jacksonville, Florida. The scheduled passenger flight was to be conducted under 14 CFR Part 121. The captain stated that the airplane was completely closed and the jetway had been pushed back in preparation for departure. An agent appeared at the end of the jetway, and after the captain opened the cockpit window, the agent asked if two additional passengers could board. The captain agreed to do so, and the agent proceeded back up the jetway to get the additional passengers. The flight attendant was advised of the situation. The captain then made a pre-departure announcement over the public address system, and when it was completed, a passenger came up to the cockpit and advised him that the flight attendant had fallen from the airplane. The captain disembarked the airplane, and remained with the flight attendant until she was put into an ambulance. According to a representative from the airline, the flight attendant could not remember how the fall occurred, and she declined to make a statement. At the time of the accident, the flight attendant had been flying with the company for 4 months. According to the Continental Airlines in-flight manual, under "Door Opening Procedures" for domestic arrivals of narrow body aircraft, the flight attendant was required to disarm and "crack" the cabin door. "'Cracking' is defined as rotating the handle enough to break the seal on the door after disarming the slide." The gate agent would have actually opened the door. If the gate agent had specifically asked for assistance, the flight attendant would then have assisted in opening the door. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N17321](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N17321-2009-10-08), registration cancelled 2009-10-08, S/N 23372, built 1986 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Boeing 737-300 - Registry model: [Boeing 737-3TO](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-3to) (registry code 138447G) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [CFM International CFM56 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-series) (registry code 13802, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 23372 - Airframe hours: 44089 - Engines: Cfm 56-3B 20100 lbs thrust turbo fan - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: Continental Airlines, Inc. - Registered owner: Fleet National Bank, Trustee - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, March 16, 1999, 4 hours before - Departed: EWR - Destination: JAX, JACKSONVILLE, FL - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: EWR, Newark Intl Airport ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 46; airline transport, flight engineer; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: right; flight hours: 16,000 total, 260 in this make and model, 6,500 as pilot in command, 196 in the last 90 days, 65 in the last 30 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 305° at 10 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 57 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg - Observed at: EWR ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 19990317041959A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990317041959A), Mar 17, 1999: Boeing 7373T0, Newark, NJ. (-23) [privacy data omitted] employee ^privac^, a 25 year old flight attendant either slipped or tripped while in the process of opening the main entry door of… 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. --- 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.