The U.S. aircraft register, updated daily
Accidents · NTSB DCA18WA134 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Boeing 717 incident near Melbourne, Au, February 5, 2018

On February 5, 2018 at about 3:25 pm local time, a Boeing 717, registered UNKNOWN, was involved in an incident during takeoff near Melbourne. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
February 5, 2018 · about 3:25 pm local time
Place
Melbourne, Australia
Type
Incident
Injuries
The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Boeing 717 · all 717s on the register
Registration
UNKNOWN · no longer on the register
Damage
Not recorded
Flight
Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules

The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has notified the NTSB of an incident involving a BOEING 717 airplane that occurred on February 05, 2018. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative to assist the government of Australia's investigation under the provisions of ICAO Annex 13.All investigative information will be released by the ATSB.

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

  1. Navigation error during takeoff defining event

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: retractable

The flight

  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.

Other NTSB records under UNKNOWN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time

2026-09-10GAA26WA322 · accident near Agua Boa, outside the U.S. · destroyed · fatal
2025-02-17ERA25LA129 · accident near Philadelphia, PA · damage not recorded · no injuries
2025-01-09WPR25LA077 · incident near Los Angeles, CA · destroyed · no injuries
2022-11-29GAA23WA035 · accident near Drummondville · destroyed · fatal
2021-10-13ANC22LA002 · accident near Chickaloon, AK · damage not recorded · no injuries
2020-07-29CEN20WA319 · accident near Sergio Perez De Leon · substantial damage
2019-05-13DCA19WA150 · incident near Derby · no injuries
2018-05-15CEN18WA188 · accident near Tuzantan · destroyed · fatal
2018-04-05DCA18WA137 · incident near Melbourne
2018-02-18DCA18WA135 · incident near Abeam Cooma Aerodome

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.