Airbus Industrie A-320 incident near Boston, Massachusetts, June 14, 1996
On June 14, 1996 at about 2:57 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-320, registered N347NW, was involved in an incident near Boston, Massachusetts. 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
an undetermined intermittent fault in the trimmable horizontal stabilizer actuator system.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 14, 1996 · about 2:57 pm local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 106 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-320 A320 · all A-320s on the register
- Registration
- N347NW · registry record · serial 408
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that a two to three degree uncommanded pitch decrease occurred about 600 feet above ground level at the same time as a flight control system pitch warning fault message was received. The crew declared an emergency and landed without further incident. During troubleshooting, the maintenance technician reported the right half of the stabilizer trim control package felt hot to the touch. The left side was cool. The trimmable horizontal stabilizer (THS) actuator was replaced, and the airplane was returned to service without further incident. Examination of the airplane logbooks revealed flight control system, pitch axis, discrepancies, and maintenance action following the previous two flights. Both elevator aileron computers, the THS electronic module, the THS actuator position monitor, and the pitch trim motor were replaced. Examination of the flight data recorder revealed erratic stabilizer movement on the previous two flights. The THS actuator and the pitch trim actuator servo motor functioned normally when tested. A defective diode was discovered in the electronic module. An Airbus Industries engineer reported the pitch oscillations could not be attributed to the defective diode.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,765 hours in all; 510 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,754 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 10, 1996
- Maximum gross weight: 167,000 lb
- Seats: 156
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM-56-211 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: BOS at 3:43 pm
- Destination: DTW Detroit MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 28.00 inHg
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.