Boeing 737-222 accident near Grand Rapids, Michigan, November 19, 1996
On November 19, 1996 at about 1:49 am local time, a Boeing 737-222, registered N9038U, was involved in an accident near Grand Rapids, Michigan (Kent County International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 84 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a passenger sustained a fractured ankle during an emergency evacuation for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 19, 1996 · about 1:49 am local time
- Place
- Grand Rapids, Michigan · Kent County International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 84 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-222 · all 737-222s on the register
- Registration
- N9038U · no longer on the register · serial 19076
- 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 flight crew received a engine fire warning during an approach to land. The crew performed engine fire emergency procedures and a single engine landing was accomplished. After landing, it was reported that the smoke was coming out of the #2 engine and the Captain ordered an evacuation of the airplane. The exit door 1R slide deployed automatically when the door was opened. The slides for exit doors 1L and 2R did not automatically inflate. Both slides were inflated manually. A passenger exited out of the 1L door and fractured her ankle. According to one of the flight attendants, the passenger did not jump out the exit as directed, but rather sat down, and slid out. Another flight attendant could not rotate door handle on exit door 2L. With assistance from a passenger the door was opened at which time the escape slide inflated into the airplane blocking both of the aft exists. Investigation revealed the operator received approval for an alternate mean of compliance for AD 85-25-04 addressing 737-100, 200, and 300 escape slide modifications, testing and inspections.
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: 7,473 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 54,614 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 24, 1996; 1,053 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 109
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 1:06 am
- Destination: GRR MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 32°F (0°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:56 pm from GRR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 80 |
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.