Boeing 747-300 incident near Houston, Texas, October 17, 1991
On October 17, 1991 at about 7:06 pm local time, a Boeing 747-300, registered PHBUU, suffered minor damage in an incident near Houston, Texas (Houston airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 154 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO ATTAIN PROPER RUNWAY ALIGNMENT PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN AND HIS FAILURE TO INITIATE A GO AROUND TO REMEDY THE SITUATION. A FACTOR WAS THE LOW ALTITUDE AT WHICH HE INITIATED THE SIDE STEP MANEUVER FOR WHICH HE WAS CLEARED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 1991 · about 7:06 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Houston
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 154 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-300 · all 747-300s on the register
- Registration
- PHBUU · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT ALLOWED THE RIGHT OUTBOARD ENGINE POD TO DRAG ON THE RUNWAY WHILE LANDING. THE INTERNATIONAL FLIGHT EXECUTED A ILS APPROACH TO RUNWAY 14 AND WHEN THEY WERE HANDED OVER TO THE TOWER, THEY REQUESTED A VISUAL APPROACH TO RUNWAY 8. THE TOWER CLEARED THE FLIGHT FOR THE SIDE STEP MANEUVER. THE CAPTAIN DELAYED INITIATING THE SIDE STEP MANEUVER UNTIL HE WAS 350 FEET AGL, AND BANKED THE AIRPLANE TO THE LEFT, ATTAINING A BANK OF 32.6 DEGREES, FOLLOWED BY 20.8 DEGREES BANK TO THE RIGHT AT 18 FEET AGL. FINAL APPROACH ALIGNMENT WAS NOT OBTAINED CAUSING THE ENGINE TO DRAG ON THE RUNWAY. A FIRE ERUPTED IN THE BOTTOM AFT SECTION OF THE ENGINE COWLING AS A RESULT OF A BROKEN FUEL FILTER DRAIN LINE. THE FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED WITH ONBOARD FIRE SUPPRESSANTS.
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, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,969 hours in all; 2,494 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 610,000 lb
- Seats: 290
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MEX Mexico City at 5:26 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 9,401 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 15 | |||
| Passengers | 139 |
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.