Airbus Industrie A-320-211 incident near Romulus, Michigan, November 24, 1996
On November 24, 1996 at about 7:50 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-320-211, registered N310NW, was involved in an incident near Romulus, Michigan (Detroit Metropolitan airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
restricted movement of the autopilot mode engagement/disengagement lever bearing in the rudder artificial feel and trim unit. A factor relating to this incident was: company management not implementing the respective service bulletin.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 24, 1996 · about 7:50 pm local time
- Place
- Romulus, Michigan · Detroit Metropolitan · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-320-211 A320-211 · all A-320-211s on the register
- Registration
- N310NW · registry record · serial 121
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the captain applied rudder over the runway threshold to compensate for a crosswind, he noted that the rudder pedals 'were locked in the neutral position.' He used slight banking to keep the airplane on runway centerline through touchdown, and differential braking and nosewheel steering to stay on runway centerline after touchdown. Shortly after exiting the runway, the rudder became free and moved normally. Examination of the rudder autopilot artificial feel unit revealed that the radial play of the autopilot mode engagement/disengagement lever was not sufficient. This introduced higher friction in the bearing of the lever, resulting in an increased operating force. In this case, the back driving force was not able to rotate the lever and disengage the autopilot mode. A review of all service bulletins (SBs) covering the A320 rudder system revealed an Airbus Industrie SB, dated March 21, 1992, which addressed this condition, and introduced a new modified lever with a larger radial play of the bearing to eliminate the problem. The A320, N310NW, did not have this modification at the time of the incident.
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: 5,242 hours in all; 2,883 in this make and model; 221 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,190 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 13, 1996; 2,972 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 167,000 lb
- Seats: 156
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM-56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 4:30 pm
- Destination: DTW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3L, 12,001 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:55 pm from DTW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 141 |
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.