Boeing 757-251 accident near Flushing, New York, January 19, 2003
On January 19, 2003 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Boeing 757-251, registered N550NW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Flushing, New York (La Guardia airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Maintenance personnel failure to maintain aircraft control as a result of excessive throttle input.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 19, 2003 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Flushing, New York · La Guardia · map
- Type
- Accident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-251 · all 757-251s on the register
- Registration
- N550NW · registry record · serial 26497
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Boeing 757 was parked at the gate with passengers aboard when an Airbus that was being taxied struck the Boeing. The Airbus was being taxied to a gate by maintenance technicians. The taxiing mechanic reported that he activated the parking brake and waited for ground personnel and a jet way operator to arrive. After the ground personnel arrived he released the parking brake. The airplane did not move and he advanced the throttles out of their idle detents "a couple of inches, about halfway." The airplane began to move at a "fairly decent speed," and he realized the throttles were still out of the idle detent position. He pulled the throttles back and applied brakes; however, the airplane did not slow and continued until it struck the jet way. Review of the flight data recorder revealed that about 12 seconds after the parking brake was released, the thrust lever angles for both engines were increased to about 17 degrees for about 9 seconds, before they were returned to the idle position. During that time, the engines N1 and N2 speeds increased to about 71, and 85 percent, respectively. The taxiing mechanic stated he was qualified to taxi the Airbus and had taxied the airplane regularly as part of his normal work duties. Review of his training records revealed he had received approximately 5 hours of initial Airbus taxi on-the-job training. However, he did not possess an authorization to taxi the A319. Examination of airplane's brake-steering control unit, and the electronic control units from each engine, did not reveal any evidence of a system failure, which would have contributed to the accident.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,233 hours in all; 1,205 in this make and model; 219 in the last 90 days; 79 in the last 30 days; 13,199 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 7, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,188 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 19, 2001; 5,188 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 228,500 lb
- Seats: 194
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PW 2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PW 2037 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGA Flushing NY
- Destination: MSP Minneapolis MN
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; a few clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 11:51 am from LGA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N550NW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.