Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82 incident near Newark, New Jersey, February 17, 1997
On February 17, 1997 at about 5:59 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82, registered N34838, suffered minor damage in an incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fatigue fracture of the upper lock link, which led to the collapse of the nose gear during landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1997 · about 5:59 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 147 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82
- Registration
- N34838 · no longer on the register · serial 49634
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The crew experienced an unsafe nose gear light on approach to landing. After recycling the gear, all indications were that the gear was down and locked. The airplane landed on runway 4R during which the nose gear collapsed; the airplane skidded to a stop. Examination of the airplane revealed the nose landing gear upper lock link had fractured. The lock link had accumulated 28,978 service hours and 24,511 cycles since original manufacture. The lock link was overhauled 13,515 and 6,317 hours prior to the failure. A metallurgical examination revealed the upper lock link was fractured through the 'I' beam section near its lower end about 3 inches from the overcenter pivot with the lower lock link. The fracture features were typical of fatigue which progressed over a large portion of the fracture. No mechanical, corrosion, or manufacturing discontinuities were visible at the fatigue origin. At the time of the failure, there was an Airworthiness Directive AD-97-02-10 about the upper lock link. It required inspections of assemblies prior to 10,000 total cycles or within 90 days of its issue, February 11, 1997, whichever came later. Continental Airlines was in the process of inspecting its entire fleet of affected aircraft when this incident occurred.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 140,000 lb
- Seats: 172
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DIA Denver CO
- Destination: EWR NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
- 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 | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 141 |
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.