Fokker F100 accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, November 7, 1997
On November 7, 1997 at about 3:17 pm local time, a Fokker F100, registered N865US, was substantially damaged in an accident near Charlotte, North Carolina (Charlotte-Douglas Int airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 104 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Improper written instructions (job/task card) by company maintenance personnel. The procedures did not reflect the correct manufactures maintenance manual servicing procedure, and did not ensure that the proper tool (replenishing gun) was available for the servicing of the torque link damper. This resulted in the improper servicing of the damper, and subsequent collapse of the right main landing gear on landing rollout.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 7, 1997 · about 3:17 pm local time
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · Charlotte-Douglas Int
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 104 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fokker F100
- Registration
- N865US · no longer on the register · serial 11308
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Fokker F100 was on landing rollout when the right main landing gear collapsed. Review of company maintenance records revealed the torque link damper on the right main landing gear was serviced using a company maintenance task/job card. The procedures did not follow the maintenance procedures listed in the aircraft manufacturer's maintenance manual, and the required tools (replenishing gun) was not available to service the torque link damper assembly. Examination of the failed components by the NTSB Materials Laboratory Division revealed fractures from the main fitting had a chevron pattern caused by overstress originated at the base of the upper torque link attach lug. No preexisting cracks were noted.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,649 hours in all; 2,752 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,489 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 6, 1997; 50 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 98,000 lb
- Seats: 104
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce TAY-650-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: MKE Milwaukee WI at 1:27 pm
- Destination: CLT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36L, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 2,400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from CLT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 99 |
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.