Boeing 737-3TO N12318
6 November 1998 · Newark, New Jersey, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 6 November 1998 at about 23:20 local time, a Boeing 737-3TO registered N12318, operated by Continental Air Lines, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey, United States. 110 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:20
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Newark, New Jersey, United States
- Nearest airport
- Newark Intl (EWR)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-3TO
- Registration
- N12318
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Continental Air Lines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Phoenix → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Bright
- NTSB number
- NYC99IA024
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 110 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 110 |
Probable cause
A loss of torque on the apex nut of the shimmy damper for undetermined reason(s), which resulted in a failure of the shimmy damper, and the subsequent failure of the lower torsion link of the right main landing gear.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The Boeing 737-300 touched down under the control of the first officer, and the pilots felt a vibration or shimmy. The captain reported that he took control of the airplane, and stopped it on the runway. Examination disclosed that the lower torsion link on the right main landing gear had failed, and the wheels had rotated 45 degrees outboard. Metallurgical examination of the failed torsion link revealed it had failed in overstress. According to a Boeing 737 Service Letter, this had happened before and was traced to excessive play at the torsion link apex joint, which rendered the shimmy dampers ineffective. The shaft on the shimmy damper was bent about 20 degrees rearward, and the apex nut which held the upper and lower torsion links together was loose on the shaft. The damage precluded a check of the apex nut for proper torque.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 737 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Mar 1998 | Boeing 737-205 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Arco Alaska, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 5 May 1998 | Boeing 737-200 | Havana, Cuba | Taca Group Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 14 Aug 1998 | Boeing 737-400 | Juneau, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Dec 1998 | Boeing 737-300 | Sacramento, California, United States | America West Airlines, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 1998 | Boeing 737 | New York, New York, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 4 Mar 1998 | Boeing 737-242C | Reno, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
All 1,317 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 Jul 1998 | Boeing A75N1 (PT17) | West Milford, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 5 Nov 1998 | Luscombe LL-8-C | Caldwell, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Aug 1998 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Freehold, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Oct 1998 | Piper PA-34 | Teteboro, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 12 Oct 1998 | Piper PA-28-181 | Pittstown, New Jersey, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 1998 | Eurocopter EC-135-P1 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | Aerial Films Inc. | Minor injuries | - |