Boeing 737-3A4 incident near Houston, Texas, January 1, 1995
On January 1, 1995 at about 5:50 pm local time, a Boeing 737-3A4, registered N326SW, was involved in an incident near Houston, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 66 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ENCOUNTER WITH WAKE TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 1, 1995 · about 5:50 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 66 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-3A4 · all 737-3A4s on the register
- Registration
- N326SW · no longer on the register
- 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 DESCENT FOR THE LANDING APPROACH THE PILOT EXPERIENCED UNCOMMANDED ROLL DIVERGENCE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS AT APPROXIMATELY 240 KNOTS, CLEAN CONDITION, AND POWER WAS REDUCED AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOLLOWING AN MD-80 WHEN THE EVENT OCCURRED. THE FIRST PILOT WAS AT THE CONTROLS WHEN THE UNCOMMANDED ROLLS OCCURRED, HOWEVER, THE CAPTAIN ASSUMED CONTROL EARLY DURING THE SEQUENCE. IT WAS NOTED THAT THE AUTOPILOT ALTITUDE HOLD WAS ENGAGED. THE INITIAL DIVERGENCE WAS A 20 DEGREE RIGHT ROLL. AS THE RIGHT ROLL WAS DEVELOPING THE PILOT APPLIED A LEFT CORRECTION, AND THE AIRCRAFT ROLLED 30 DEGREES LEFT. THE PILOT THEN APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER WHICH RESULTED IN THE WINGS COMING TO THE LEVEL ATTITUDE. AN EXAMINATION OF THE FLIGHT CONTROL SYSTEM FAILED TO REVEAL ANY ANOMALIES.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 7,500 as pilot in command; 1,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 116,000 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56-3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DAL Dallas TX at 5:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 61 |
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.