Boeing B-737-300 incident near Houston, Texas, November 26, 1994
On November 26, 1994 at about 5:02 pm local time, a Boeing B-737-300, registered N14336, suffered minor damage in an incident near Houston, Texas (Houston Intercontinental airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 134 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL TO FOLLOW THE TAXI CHECKLIST RESULTING IN THE HYDRAULIC PUMPS NOT BEING TURNED ON.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 26, 1994 · about 5:02 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Houston Intercontinental · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 134 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-737-300
- Registration
- N14336 · no longer on the register · serial 23574
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWO MECHANICS WERE REPOSITIONING A BOEING 737-200, N11244, TO CONTINENTAL DEPARTURE GATE 41. THE LEFT SEAT MECHANIC DID NOT UTILIZE THE MECHANIC TAXI CHECKLIST. THIS MECHANIC SUBSEQUENTLY REPORTED DIFFICULTY IN NOSE WHEEL STEERING AND BRAKING. THE RIGHT SEAT MECHANIC OFFERED TO CALL MAINTENANCE; HOWEVER, THE OTHER MECHANIC DECLINED THE OFFER. AT THE TIME, FLIGHT 1176, A BOEING 737-300, N14336, FROM GATE 44 WAS UNDER CONTROL OF THE PUSHBACK TEAM. THE CREW OF THE PUSHBACK AIRPLANE AND WITNESSES REPORTED THE REPOSITIONING AIRPLANE ENGINES WERE AT 'A VERY HIGH POWER SETTING' AND 'TAXIING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED.' THE RIGHT WING OF AIRPLANE N11244 WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHEN IT HIT THE LEFT OUTBOARD FLAP AREA OF N14336. THE HYDRAULIC SYSTEMS FOR THE NOSE WHEEL STEERING, THE MAIN WHEEL STEERING, THE MAIN WHEEL BRAKES, AND THE THRUST REVERSERS WERE FUNCTIONALLY TESTED AND FOUND OPERATIONAL.
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
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days; 15,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,118 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 26, 1994; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 135,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm 56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from IAH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 128 |
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 N14336 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.