Boeing 737-700 incident near Santa Ana, California, October 10, 2001
On October 10, 2001 at about 11:27 pm local time, a Boeing 737-700, registered N615AS, was involved in an incident near Santa Ana, California. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 87 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 stabilizer electric trim motor as a result of internal mechanical seizure.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2001 · about 11:27 pm local time
- Place
- Santa Ana, California · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 87 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-700 · all 737-700s on the register
- Registration
- N615AS · registry record · serial 30344
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight crew experienced a jammed horizontal stabilizer trim actuator during the takeoff initial climb. The pilot reported that after takeoff, during climb out, the "STAB OUT OF TRIM" annunciator light illuminated. The crew disengaged the autopilot and found the electric trim control inoperative at both the pilot and co-pilot positions, and the manual trim control was jammed and immovable. The crew leveled the airplane at 13,000 feet and accomplished the "Stabilizer Out of Trim" and "Jammed Stabilizer" checklists to no avail. The crew declared an emergency with air traffic control, and made an otherwise uneventful landing at Los Angeles. According to the pilot, the trim manual control was jammed and immobile. Post flight examination revealed the horizontal stabilizer trim actuator motor was seized. The actuator motor was subsequently replaced with a serviceable unit, and the aircraft was ferried to Seattle for inspection. No other faults were found in the pitch trim system and the airplane was returned to service. Further examination of the actuator motor revealed that the motor was mechanically seized. According to a representative of Boeing Aircraft Company, with the motor seized, in order to manually trim the stabilizer, it would have been necessary for the flight crew to exert sufficient force on the trim wheel to cause the motor clutch to slip in addition to the force necessary to overcome normal system friction.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,317 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,508 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,250 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 8, 2001; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 154,500 lb
- Seats: 129
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm International CFM 56-7B24 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 11:25 pm
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.96 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 82 |
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.