Boeing 737-823 accident near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, May 28, 2021
On May 28, 2021 at about 5:40 pm local time, a 2010 Boeing 737-823, registered N834NN, was substantially damaged in an accident during taxi near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas (Dallas Fort Worth Internationa airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 166 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The captain’s decision to adjust his flight instruments while taxiing the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 2021 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas · Dallas Fort Worth Internationa · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 166 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-823, built 2010 · all 737-823s on the register
- Registration
- N834NN · registry record · serial 29576
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 28, 2021, at 12:40 PM central daylight time, American Airlines flight 1005, a Boeing 737-800, N834NN, struck a light pole while taxing for takeoff at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. There were no injuries to the 166 passengers and crew onboard. The airplane was substantially damaged. The regularly scheduled international passenger flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from DFW to the Lynden Pindling International Airport (NAS), Nassau, Bahamas. According to the flight crew, this was the Captain’s first flight of the month after being on vacation, and it was the first officer’s (FO) first day back flying since September 2020 due to furlough. The flight crew indicated that prior to pushback, they had setup the airplane for a south departure from DFW. However, after being pushed back, they completed the After Start Checklist and then noticed that the other traffic was departing to the north. After confirming this by tuning in the Automated Terminal Information System (ATIS), they updated their departure clearance before calling the ramp for taxi clearance. The captain stated that the airplane must have veered left of centerline as he and the FO’s attention was focused inside the cockpit as they were reconfiguring the instruments. The captain indicated that the left wing struck a light pole, as he was adjusting the course and heading knobs. The captain stopped the airplane, called ground control, and the airplane was subsequently towed back to the gate. Daylight visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. Post-flight inspection revealed substantial damage to the left wing, including damage to the number 1 leading edge slat, wing skin, front spar, and track ribs.
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
- Ground collision during taxi defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Decision making/judgment › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,209 hours in all; 7,654 in this make and model; 66 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 8,337 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 8, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,147 hours in all; 328 in this make and model; 4 in the last 90 days; 1 in the last 30 days; 3,562 as pilot in command; 1,944 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 11, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,038 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Seats: 162
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24/3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24/3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines INC
The flight
- Destination: NAS Nassau OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 71°F (22°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 160 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 6, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Flight Crew Statement | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.