Boeing 737-3H4 incident near Lubbock, Texas, August 18, 1995
On August 18, 1995 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Boeing 737-3H4, registered N309SW, suffered minor damage in an incident near Lubbock, Texas (Lubbock International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 114 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
installation of an incorrect bearing in the number three main wheel by the wheel assembly supplier, which led to subsequent failure of the wheel bearing and separation of the wheel during takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 1995 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Lubbock, Texas · Lubbock International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 114 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-3H4 · all 737-3H4s on the register
- Registration
- N309SW · no longer on the register · serial 22948
- 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 at Lubbock, Texas, the number three wheel assembly separated from the axle. The aircrew continued the flight and landed uneventfully at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Company maintenance records indicated the wheel assembly was last replaced on August 16, 1995. Examination of the aircraft revealed that the axle nut was intact on the axle along with the tang washer. The axle nut locking ring was also in place. The outer bearing was found deteriorated with only its inner race remaining, and the inner bearing remained intact on the axle. Examination of the components revealed that, an incorrect inner bearing had been installed inadvertently by the wheel assembly supplier on the number three wheel assembly. A Timkin part number 594 bearing was installed in lieu of the correct Timkin part number 596 bearing.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 20,000 hours in all; 15,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 130,000 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM-56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LBB at 5:00 pm
- Destination: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26, 8,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 109 |
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.