Boeing 737-300 N17321

Summary

On 17 March 1999 at about 20:40 local time, a Boeing 737-300 registered N17321, operated by Continental Airlines, Inc., was involved in an accident near Newark, New Jersey, United States. 109 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

17 March 1999 at 20:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Newark, New Jersey, United States

Nearest airport

Newark Intl Airport (EWR)

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Boeing 737-300

Registration

N17321

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Continental Airlines, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Unknown → Jacksonville

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC99LA076

1 person was seriously injured.

The flight attendant's failure to follow cabin door opening procedures.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

+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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.