Fokker F-100 incident near Norfolk, Virginia, August 17, 2000
On August 17, 2000 at about 7:10 pm local time, a Fokker F-100, registered N860US, was involved in an incident near Norfolk, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 58 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 airplane's ground/flight switch and a malfunction of the thrust reverser deploy switch, which resulted in an in-flight thrust reverser deployment.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 17, 2000 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 58 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fokker F-100
- Registration
- N860US · no longer on the register · serial 11295
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During decent for landing, the flight crew experienced a temporary inadvertent deployment of the left engine thrust reverser. The flight crew declared an emergency and diverted to a nearby airport, where the airplane landed without further incident. Examination of the thrust reverser control system revealed that if thrust lever was moved aggressively to the aft stop, the left engine's thrust reverser switch could actuate. Additionally, faults were observed in left main landing gear Ground/Flight (G/F) switch, and the left engine thrust reverser deploy switch. After the left main landing gear G/F switch and the thrust lever switchbox were replaced, the airplane's thrust reverser system tested "ok."
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: 11,661 hours in all; 5,399 in this make and model; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,925 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 21, 2000; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 98,500 lb
- Seats: 103
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce TAY 650-15 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGA Flushing NY at 6:10 pm
- Destination: RIC Richmond VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 174°F (79°C), dew point 147°F (64°C)
- Observation at 7:51 pm from ORF
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 52 |
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.