Boeing 737-400 incident near Greensboro, North Carolina, August 2, 1989
On August 2, 1989 at about 2:55 pm local time, a Boeing 737-400, registered N413US, suffered minor damage in an incident near Greensboro, North Carolina (Greensboro airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 106 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE LINE MECHANIC, A CHECK MECHANIC, AND FIRST OFFICER TO IDENTIFY AND REMOVE THE WHEEL CHOCK FROM THE WHEEL WELL DURING THE REQUIRED INSPECTIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 2, 1989 · about 2:55 pm local time
- Place
- Greensboro, North Carolina · Greensboro · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 106 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-400 · all 737-400s on the register
- Registration
- N413US · registry record · serial 23882
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING APPROACH TO CHARLOTTE, THE MAIN GEAR WOULD NOT EXTEND. THE FLT DIVERTED TO GREENSBORO. THE RIGHT GEAR EVENTUALLY EXTENDED AFTER APPLYING EXTENSIVE G-FORCES, BUT THE LEFT GEAR WOULD NOT. AFTER LANDING, A 29-INCH WHEEL CHOCK WAS FOUND WEDGED BETWEEN THE RADIUS OF THE LEFT WHEEL WELL AND THE INBOARD WHEEL WHICH PREVENTED THE LEFT GEAR FROM FALLING DOWN. THE AIRPLANE HAD BEEN POSITIONED SEVERAL TIMES THE NIGHT BEFORE, AND THE MECHANICS RECALLED PLACING THE CHOCKS IN THE WHEEL WELL. AN A-CHECK, AND A WALK-AROUND INSPECTION, HAD BEEN COMPLETED PRIOR TO THE FLIGHT'S DEPARTURE FROM WASHINGTON. EACH INSPECTION REQUIRED AN INSPECTION OF THE WHEEL WELL AREA. THE FIRST OFFICER STATED THAT HE DIDN'T SEE THE CHOCK WHICH WAS MARKED WITH YELLOW REFLECTIVE TAPE. A FLASHLIGHT WAS USED DURING THE INSPECTION.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,019 hours in all; 7,944 in this make and model; 189 in the last 90 days; 89 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,193 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 29, 1989; 354 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,500 lb
- Seats: 154
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge 56-382 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Piedmont Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: Washington DC at 12:20 pm
- Destination: Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23, 10,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: scat
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:52 pm from GSO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 100 |
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.