Boeing 737 accident near Charleston, West Virginia, July 13, 2009
On July 13, 2009 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Boeing 737, registered N387SW, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Charleston, West Virginia (Yeager Airport, Charleston, Wv). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 131 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Fuselage skin failure due to preexisting fatigue at a chemically milled step.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 13, 2009 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, West Virginia · Yeager Airport, Charleston, Wv · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 131 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 3H4 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N387SW · no longer on the register · serial 26602
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Flight data recorder data revealed that the airplane took off and climbed for about 25 minutes to an altitude of approximately 35,000 feet, at which point the cabin altitude warning activated, and the captain disengaged the autopilot. Postincident examination of the airplane revealed fatigue cracking of the fuselage skin near the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer adjacent to the rupture. The fatigue cracking penetrated the fuselage skin and created an approximate 18-inch by 12-inch flap in the skin that depressurized the airplane. The fuselage skin assembly near the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer was manufactured by bonding two full aluminum sheets together, then selectively chemically milling away pockets (bays) of the inner sheet. Continuous fatigue cracks initiated from multiple origins on the inner surface of the skin adjacent to the step formed at the edge of the chemically milled area and propagated outward. Following the Southwest Airlines (SWA) flight 2294 event, on September 3, 2009, Boeing issued Service Bulletin (SB) 737-53A1301, calling for repetitive external inspections to detect cracks in the fuselage skin along the chemically milled step at stringers S-1 and S-2 right and between BS 827 and BS 847. (The hole from the SWA event was within those boundaries.) If cracks are detected, operators are to contact Boeing for repair instructions. On January 12, 2010, the Federal Aviation Administration issued Airworthiness Directive 2010-01-09, which mandated the inspection requirements in SB 737-53A1301.
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
- Emergency descent initiated during enroute (cruise)
- Aircraft structural failure during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Plates/skins (aux fuselage) › Fatigue/wear/corrosion
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Fuselage › Plates/skins (aux fuselage) › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,500 hours in all; 19,300 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 17,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 14, 2009
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 10,100 hours in all; 2,240 in this make and model; 167 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days; 6,300 as pilot in command; 232 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 5, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 50,888 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 15, 2009
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Southwest Airlines CO
The flight
- Departed from: BNA Nashville TN
- Destination: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: not recorded
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 126 |
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.