Boeing 737-200 incident near Elko, Nevada, June 29, 1995
On June 29, 1995 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Boeing 737-200, registered N457TM, suffered minor damage in an incident near Elko, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 84 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
in-flight separation of the aileron as a result of inadequate bonding.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 29, 1995 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Elko, Nevada
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 84 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N457TM · no longer on the register · serial 20156
- 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 UNUSUAL VIBRATION WHILE DESCENDING THROUGH FL250. THEY REDUCED SPEED AND THE VIBRATION DECREASED. A FLIGHT ATTENDANT REPORTED THAT PART OF THE RIGHT WING WAS MISSING. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT INDICATED THAT 1.5 FEET OF THE RIGHT AILERON HAD SEPARATED IN FLIGHT. THIS AILERON UNDERWENT A MAJOR REPAIR IN 1990 INVOLVING SKIN AND CORE REPLACEMENT. IT WAS INSTALLED ON THE AIRCRAFT IN 1992 WITHOUT FURTHER WORK DONE ON IT. EXAMINATION OF THE AILERON REVEALED VERY LITTLE FLOW OF THE ADHESIVE BETWEEN THE SKIN AND THE CORE, POSSIBLY DUE TO USE OF AN ADHESIVE BEYOND ITS SHELF LIFE.
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: 11,000 hours in all; 2,500 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 48,512 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 124
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PDX Portland OR at 3:28 pm
- Destination: EKO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:25 pm from EKO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 78 |
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.