Boeing 747-300 incident near Houston, Texas, April 20, 1997
On April 20, 1997 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Boeing 747-300, registered PHBUL, suffered minor damage in an incident near Houston, Texas (Houston Intercontinental airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 299 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The first officer's failure to maintain clearance while taxiing around a standing airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1997 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Houston Intercontinental · map
- Type
- Incident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 299 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-300 · all 747-300s on the register
- Registration
- PHBUL · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An Air France Boeing 767 was number one in sequence for takeoff at the runup area for runway 14L. The Air France flight reported that they were not ready for takeoff. KLM flight 662 was cleared by ATC to taxi into position and hold for departure on 14L. While taxiing around the standing Air France 767, the extended right outboard leading edge flap from the KLM 747 impacted the left wing tip of the Air France 767, resulting in minor damage to both airplanes. Airport operations personnel reported that no fuel was spilled from either aircraft and both airplanes taxied back to their respective gates. Air France's maintenance personnel replaced the left wing navigation light assembly from the 767 and the airplane was released and departed approximately 3 hours after the intended departure time. According to the FAA inspector at the site, the wing tip is visible from the cockpit of the 747. Additionally, he stated that the side window was crazed. The scheduled departure time for KLM flight 662 was 1540.
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: 8,050 hours in all; 1,800 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-7A (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAH at 9:15 pm
- Destination: EHAM Amsterdam OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14R, 6,038 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from IAH, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 15 | |||
| Passengers | 284 |
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.