Boeing 737-200 incident near Denver, Colorado, March 21, 1983
On March 21, 1983 at about 11:04 pm local time, a Boeing 737-200, registered N7358F, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 82 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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
- March 21, 1983 · about 11:04 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 82 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N7358F · no longer on the register · serial 22744
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING TAKEOFF THE INBOARD LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR TIRE & WHEEL DEPARTED THE ACFT. THE FLIGHT RETURNED AND LANDED WITHOUTFURTHER INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE WHEEL RIM REVEALED MULTIPLE FATIGUE CRACKS IN THE RIM.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 117,500 lb
- Seats: 106
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8D-17 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17R, 12,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 77 |
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.
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.