Airbus Industrie A320-232 accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, June 12, 2000
On June 12, 2000 at about 8:14 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A320-232, registered N655AW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada (Mccarran International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 152 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the mechanic to refasten the cowling door prior to returning the aircraft to service.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 12, 2000 · about 8:14 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · Mccarran International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 152 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A320-232 · all A320-232s on the register
- Registration
- N655AW · registry record · serial 1075
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During takeoff, as the airplane accelerated through takeoff rotation speed (Vr), the outboard, forward cowl door on the left (number 1) engine separated from the engine nacelle and struck the horizontal stabilizer. The pilot reported there had been an abnormal vibration as the aircraft accelerated through Vr. Several passengers pressed their flight attendant call buttons and alerted the flight attendants who, in turn, reported the cowling separation to the cockpit crew. The return for landing at the departure airport was unremarkable. The cowl door over-center type latches on the inboard door were found latched, however, the hooks were intact and undamaged. Similarly, the latch receptacles on the outboard door were visibly undamaged. The latches were painted red. An "RON-check" (Remain Over Night) had been performed during hours of darkness the previous night, which required that the cowling doors be opened. In the morning, the aircraft was handed over from the maintenance graveyard shift to the day shift. Maintenance items remained to be completed in areas of the aircraft other than the number 1 engine. The takeoff where the cowling separated was the first flight following return to service.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,300 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,012 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 1, 1999; 3,012 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 169,750 lb
- Seats: 156
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Int'L Aero En V-2527-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAS at 8:10 pm
- Destination: CMH Columbus OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25R, 14,505 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 203°F (95°C), dew point 109°F (43°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from LAS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 147 |
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.