Boeing 737-3B7 incident near Charlotte, North Carolina, August 5, 1995
On August 5, 1995 at about 2:00 pm local time, a Boeing 737-3B7, registered N396US, was involved in an incident near Charlotte, North Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 83 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER INSTALLATION OF THE 'A' SYSTEM FLIGHT CONTROL COMPUTER BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, WHICH RESULTED IN PIN CONNECTOR(S) BEING PUSHED LOOSE AND SUBSEQUENT MALFUNCTION OF THE AUTOPILOT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 1995 · about 2:00 pm local time
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 83 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-3B7 · all 737-3B7s on the register
- Registration
- N396US · no longer on the register · serial 23318
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CAPTAIN REPORTED THAT DURING DESCENT THROUGH 12,000 FEET WITH THE 'A' SYSTEM AUTOPILOT ENGAGED AND WITH AN AIRSPEED OF 250 KNOTS, THERE WAS AN UNCOMMANDED ROLL TO THE LEFT. HE DISENGAGED THE AUTOPILOT AND ROLLED THE THE AIRPLANE TO WINGS LEVEL FLIGHT, THEN CONTINUED THE FLIGHT WITH THE AUTOPILOT OFF. POSTINCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL CONNECTION IN AN 'A' AUTOPILOT CIRCUIT, DUE TO PIN CONNECTOR(S) BEING PUSHED OUT OF PLACE ON THE FLIGHT CONTROL COMPUTER SHELF CONNECTOR. ONE OF THE PINS WAS IN THE AILERON POSITION SENSOR EXCITATION CIRCUIT. THE 'A' FLIGHT CONTROL COMPUTER HAD BEEN REMOVED AND REINSTALLED THE DAY BEFORE THE INCIDENT TO INSPECT THE RACK FOR FLUID CONTAMINATION.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 11,300 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 27,857 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 5, 1995; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 135,500 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56-3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALB Albany NY at 12:33 pm
- Destination: CLT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,700 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:15 pm from CLT, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| 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.