Boeing 737-400 accident near Juneau, Alaska, August 14, 1998
On August 14, 1998 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Boeing 737-400, registered N799AS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Juneau, Alaska (Juneau International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight crew's inadequate recovery from a bounced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 14, 1998 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska · Juneau International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-400 · all 737-400s on the register
- Registration
- N799AS · no longer on the register · serial 29270
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain/check airman reported that the accident flight was the first officer's second Initial Operating Experience (IOE) training flight after being hired by the airline. He stated that the first officer was making a visual approach to runway 26, and on initial touchdown the airplane 'skipped' and became airborne. The captain stated that during the initial touchdown he noted that the throttles were not in the fully retarded position. The captain said that at this point, he closed the throttles and instructed the first officer to maintain attitude as the second touchdown approached. He said that the auto spoilers then deployed, and the airplane settled onto the runway in a nose high attitude. The captain characterized the second touchdown as 'firm', but well within acceptable limits. After landing rollout, the airplane was taxied to the gate, and all of the 140 passengers disembarked the airplane uneventfully. A subsequent inspection by ground personnel discovered a 1 foot by 4 feet scrape located on the belly of the airplane, between station 887 and 941.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,762 hours in all; 2,607 in this make and model; 101 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 7,135 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 723 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 143,500 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM56-3C-1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 8:50 pm
- Destination: JNU
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 8,456 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from PAJ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 140 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.