Boeing 737 accident near Greenville, Mississippi, May 6, 2011
On May 6, 2011 at about 7:00 am local time, a Boeing 737, registered N12221, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi (to runway) near Greenville, Mississippi (Mid Delta Regional Airport). It was a positioning flight under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of a utility pipe beneath the ramp surface, which caused a localized void in the soil and resulting reduction in the load bearing capability of the ramp.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 6, 2011 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- Greenville, Mississippi · Mid Delta Regional Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 800 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N12221 · registry record · serial 28930
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A failed utility pipe caused erosion of the soil beneath the reinforced concrete ramp resulting in a void beneath the ramp surface. When the airplane taxied over this area of the ramp, the left main landing gear penetrated the concrete and sank into the void. Without the support of the soil beneath the concrete, the ramp surface was not strong enough to support the accident airplane.
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
- Airport occurrence during taxi (to runway) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surfa › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 5,500 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days; 4,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: April 19, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 3,800 as pilot in command; 650 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 15, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,491 hours
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Continental Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: GLH Greenville MS
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N12221 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA11FA052.