Airbus Industrie A-340-200 accident near Dfw Airport, Texas, June 21, 1996
On June 21, 1996 at about 7:28 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-340-200, registered DAIBE, was involved in an accident near Dfw Airport, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 4 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 70 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flightcrew's abrupt maneuver/descent in response to a TCAS RA. Factors were the company assignment of the captain to the crew position with a lack of captain training.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 21, 1996 · about 7:28 pm local time
- Place
- Dfw Airport, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 70 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-340-200 A340-200 · all A-340-200s on the register
- Registration
- DAIBE · no longer on the register · serial MSN 019
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During climb, the TCAS accrued a TA then a RA down advisory 'don't climb greater than 500 fpm.' The crew simultaneously operated their respective side stick controls when the captain responded with an abrupt maneuver without making a verbal announcement that he was taking command. Input from both side sticks changed the aircraft nose-up pitch from 0.7 degrees to 4.22 degrees in 1.1 second and an aft galley g load from -0.36 g's to 2.27 g's. Subsequently, the Captain Side Stick Position gave an aircraft pitch change to 2.11 degrees nose-down and an aft galley CG of -0.76 g's in a span of one second. Both Side Stick positions cumulatively gave 1.8 degrees nose-up and 2.09 g's at the aft galley in 1.2 seconds. The VFR traffic had visual contact on the Airbus and both aircraft were advised by ATC that the traffic was not a factor. The seat belt sign had been turned 'OFF' and the FA's were preparing for passenger service. FA's reported strong consecutive jolts, without warning, that threw them and items against the ceiling. The captain had the TCAS CBT training. He had not received the simulator TCAS training. The Captain had not participated in CRM.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,388 hours in all; 1,931 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 71 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,996 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 31, 1996; 10 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 566,580 lb
- Seats: 243
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM 56-5C2 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DFW at 7:20 pm
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:53 pm from DFW, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | 1 | 5 | |
| Passengers | 1 | 65 |
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.