Boeing 757-200 incident near Richmond, Virginia, March 22, 2008
On March 22, 2008 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Boeing 757-200, registered N921UW, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Richmond, Virginia. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 180 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The installed wing panel clips failed due to fatigue, likely caused by the incorrect installation of the fasteners in response to SB 757-57-0027. Contributing to the incorrect installation was the SB's lack of clarity in the instructions and figures on the correct orientation of the clips and spacers.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 2008 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Richmond, Virginia · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 180 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-200 · all 757-200s on the register
- Registration
- N921UW · no longer on the register · serial 22201
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
NTSB materials laboratory examined the wing-side portions of the left wing trailing edge panel clips from the inboard, middle and outboard positions, with fasteners. Analysis indicated that the wing panel clips fractured due to fatigue. The fatigue region of the inboard clip covered the largest area fraction and was smoothest among the three clips, indicating that fatigue initiated first in the inboard clip. No evidence of corrosion or material anomalies was observed at the fatigue origin. The shape of the fatigue crack in this clip is consistent with fatigue crack propagation primarily under out-of-plane (inboard-outboard) bending loads. Boeing Service Bulletin (SB) 757-57-0027 was issued April 28, 1988, to address fatigue cracking of attach clips at the location of the fracture in the incident airplane clips. Thickness of the middle clip from the incident airplane indicates that the clips were replaced using kit number 012N8546-1 clips. However, the clips were installed on the incorrect side of the vertical stiffener, and the clips were not installed with spacers as required in SB. Installing the clip on the outboard side of the rear spar vertical stiffener instead of the inboard side would be expected to put additional tensile stress on the inboard side of the clip, which is where fatigue initiation was observed. It is likely that this incorrect installed increased stresses on the clips, which would increase the likelihood of failure due to fatigue. Patterns in the sealant and filled holes on the inboard clip indicate that it was repositioned to a lower position at some time. The middle clip showed sealant filling areas where the white paint was missing, indicating that the middle clip might have been removed and reinstalled at some time as well.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft structural failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Installation › Maintenance personnel
- factor Organizational issues › Development › Design › Task design › Manufacturer
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: US Airways INC
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlanda FL
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 4 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 174 |
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.