Boeing 737-130 incident near Portland, Maine, February 13, 1993
On February 13, 1993 at about 8:11 pm local time, a Boeing 737-130, registered N403PE, was involved in an incident near Portland, Maine (Portland Int'L Jetport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 99 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT IN COMMAND'S EXCESSIVE AIRSPEED DURING APPROACH, AND HIS FAILURE TO FOLLOW THE PROPER BRAKING PROCEDURES DURING LANDING AS PER COMPANY TRAINING. FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO THE ACCIDENT INCLUDE A TAILWIND AND A WET, DOWNHILL RUNWAY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 1993 · about 8:11 pm local time
- Place
- Portland, Maine · Portland Int'L Jetport
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 99 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-130 · all 737-130s on the register
- Registration
- N403PE · no longer on the register · serial 19020
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO CONTINENTAL AIRLINES, THE CAPTAIN EXECUTED AN ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 11 AND USED AN AIRSPEED (V REF) OF 136 KNOTS. THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER REVEALED THAT THE AIRSPEED FLUCTUATED FROM 150 KNOTS TO 159 KNOTS DURING THE FINAL PHASE OF THE APPROACH. THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN ABOUT 2500 FEET DOWN THE WET, DOWNHILL RUNWAY. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT HE DEPLOYED THE THRUST REVERSERS, AND THEN THE SPEED BRAKES. THE PROCEDURE TAUGHT TO CONTINENTAL PILOTS WAS TO DEPLOY THE SPEED BRAKES FIRST, AND THEN THE THRUST REVERSERS IN ORDER TO PRODUCE MAXIMUM BRAKING EFFECTIVENESS. THE AIRPLANE OVERRAN THE RUNWAY.
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: 22,000 hours in all; 9,999 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 100,800 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ
- Destination: PWM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 11, 6,800 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:11 pm from PWM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 94 |
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.