Boeing 727-200 accident near Houston, Texas, March 9, 1993
On March 9, 1993 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered N79754, was involved in an accident near Houston, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 45 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PILOT OF THE T-38A TO FOLLOW FLIGHT ADVISORIES. A FACTOR WHICH CONTRIBUTED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS THE DEVELOPMENT OF A LETTER OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE FAA AND NASA WHICH WAS NOT IN ACCORDANCE WITH ICAO PROCEDURES.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 9, 1993 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 45 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N79754 · no longer on the register · serial 21363
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE AT FLIGHT LEVEL 350, WHILE OVER THE GULF OF MEXICO, THE CREW RECEIVED A CLIMB RESOLUTION ADVISORY FROM THE TRAFFIC ALERT AND COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEM (TCAS). THE CREW INITIATED A CLIMB INITIALLY AT 1,500 FPM, AND THEN INCREASED THE CLIMB TO 2,500 FPM. A PASSENGER STANDING NEAR THE AFT GALLEY SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE TRAFFIC WAS A NASA T-38A PERFORMING A FUNCTIONAL CHECK FLIGHT. DURING THE STALL SERIES, THE T-38A HAD DESCENDED THROUGH FLIGHT LEVEL 350, AND THE PILOT INITIATED A CLIMB BACK TO ABOVE FLIGHT LEVEL 350. THE T-38A WAS VFR BASED ON A LETTER OF AGREEMENT, AND THE PILOT HAD BEEN ADVISED BY ATC NOT TO GO BELOW FLIGHT LEVEL 350 BECAUSE OF NUMEROUS TRAFFIC IN THE AREA. THE LETTER OF AGREEMENT BETWEEN HOUSTON ARTCC, NASA, HOUSTON INTERCONTINENTAL TOWER, AND THE 147TH FIGHTER INTERCEPTOR GROUP, ELLINGTON FIELD, TEXAS, WAS IN VIOLATION OF EXTANT INTERNATIONAL CIVIL AVIATION ORGANIZATION (ICAO) AGREEMENTS, AND WAS RESCINDED ON 3/10/93, THE DAY FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 4,900 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: None (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 38,828 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 9, 1991; 3,480 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 172,500 lb
- Seats: 159
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MID Merida,Mexico OF at 6:35 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from GLS, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 37 |
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.