Aerospatiale ATR42-300 incident near Newark, New Jersey, March 4, 1993
On March 4, 1993 at about 10:00 pm local time, a Aerospatiale ATR42-300, registered N99838, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 34 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FLIGHTCREW'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW APPROVED PROCEDURES THAT REQUIRED A MINIMUM PROPELLER SPPED WHILE FLYING IN ICING CONDITION. CONTRIBUTING TO THE LOSS OF ROLL CONTROL WERE THE ENCOUNTERS WITH SEVERE TURBULENCE AND ICING CONDITIONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1993 · about 10:00 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 34 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale ATR42-300
- Registration
- N99838 · registry record
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLIGHT 3444 ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE AND ICING CONDITIONS WHILE ON APPROACH TO RUNWAY 4R AT NEWARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. AN ANALYSIS OF THE WEATHER REVEALED THAT THERE WERE 'STRONG HORIZONTAL GUSTS' AND SEVERE TURBULENCE IN THE NEWARK AREA BELOW 5,000 FEET. ALSO, THE FLIGHTCREW STATED THAT THEY HAD BEEN FLYING IN ICING CONDITIONS THAT CONSISTED OF A MIXTURE OF RIME AND CLEAR ICE. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT HE OBSERVED ABOUT 3 INCHES OF ICE ON TOP OF THE WING, BEHIND THE LEADING EDGE WING BOOT. APPROVED PROCEDURES FOR FLIGHT IN ICING CONDITIONS REQUIRE THE PROPELLER SPEED BE MAINTAINED AT 86 PERCENT OR HIGHER TO PREVENT UNEVEN ICE ACCUMULATION OF THE WING. THE DFDR INFORMATION REVEALED THE CREW HAD THE PROPELLER SPEED AT 77 PERCENT, 9 PERCENT THE REQUIRED MINIMUM.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 25,000 lb
- Seats: 30
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW120 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 070° at 28 knots, gusting 46
- Visibility: 1.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 34°F (1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from EWR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 32 |
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 N99838 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.