Boeing 737-222 accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, October 26, 1986
On October 26, 1986, a Boeing 737-222, registered N752N, was destroyed in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina (Charlotte Douglas Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 3 people were seriously injured and 31 people had minor injuries; 85 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- October 26, 1986
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · Charlotte Douglas Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured and 31 people had minor injuries; 85 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-222 · all 737-222s on the register
- Registration
- N752N · no longer on the register · serial 19073
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARR, PIEDMONT FLT 467 WAS VECTORED FOR AN ILS RWY 36R APCH. AT 2001 CDT (APRX 7 MIN BFR LNDG), ALL ARRG FLTS WERE ADZD THE WX WAS (IN PART): 400' OVC, VIS 2 MI WITH LGT RAIN & FOG, WND FM 090 AT 8 KTS. RWY 5/32 WAS OUT-OF-SVC AT THAT TIME. FLT 467 WAS VECTORED FOR RGT TURNS (FM NORTH & WEST) ONTO FINAL APCH. AT 2002:42, THE ATC FINAL CTLR TOLD ANOTHER FLT (SAME FREQ) THAT THERE WAS A 20 TO 25 KT RGT X-WND ON FINAL APCH. WHEN FLT 467 WAS CLRD FOR LNDG AT 2005:36, THE SFCWND WAS RPRTD FM 100 DEG AT 4 KTS. THE ACFT WAS NOT CONFIGURED FOR LNDG UNTIL JUST BFR TCHDWN & THE COPLT DID NOT ALERT THE CAPT OF THE DEV. THE ACFT LNDD APRX 3200' FM THE THRESHOLD & THE CAPT WAS UNABLE TO STOP ON THE WET RWY. AFTER DEPG THE RWY, THE ACFT HIT AN ILS ANTENNA & A CULVERT, THEN WENT THRU A FENCE & STOPPED BESIDE RAILROAD TRACKS. RPRTDLY, THE CAPT ADDED 20 KTS TO APCH SPD FOR PSBL WND SHEAR & DELAYED SPOILER OPN AFTER TCHDWN. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF HYDROPLANING & POOR FRICTIONAL QUALITY ON LAST 1500' OF RWY. THREE PAX RCVD BACK INJURIES; BOTH PLTS & 1 F/A HAD MINOR INJURIES.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model; 174 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Piedmont Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 10:28 pm
- Destination: CLT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36R, 7,845 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded at 400 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 3 | 28 | 83 |
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 N752N the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.