Boeing 717-200 accident near Flushing, New York, March 27, 2003
On March 27, 2003 at about 3:39 am local time, a Boeing 717-200, registered N957AT, suffered minor damage in an accident near Flushing, New York (Laguardia Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 22 people had minor injuries; 60 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A failure of the left power control distribution unit (PCDU).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 2003 · about 3:39 am local time
- Place
- Flushing, New York · Laguardia Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 22 people had minor injuries; 60 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 717-200 · all 717-200s on the register
- Registration
- N957AT · registry record · serial 55017
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Boeing 717 was on final approach when the display units (DUs) in the cockpit blanked, and the cockpit darkened. In addition smoke was smelled in the cockpit, and cabin. In the cabin, the emergency light illuminated for a few minutes, and then all lights extinguished and the cabin was dark. The landing gear was lowered. When the wing flaps were positioned to 40 degrees, a landing gear aural warning commenced and continued until power was removed after landing. The captain reported when the event initiated, he directed his vision outside the cockpit where it remained until after landing. The co-pilot reported that he also directed his vision outside of the cockpit in the final 20 seconds of approach. Neither pilot made use of the standby instruments or used a flashlight to check instruments. The captain commanded an emergency evacuation after he cleared the runway and stopped. When interviewed, the flight attendants reported that during the emergency evacuation, they did not check conditions outside of their doors prior to opening them. In addition, cabin emergency lighting was not turned on by the flight attendants, and the flight attendant at the tail cone station was unable to deploy her slide. Examination of the airplane revealed the left power control distribution unit (PCDU) had failed. The left DC bus was also lost and the ability to power the left DC bus from other sources was also lost. The failure of the PCDU was not instantaneous and it tried to recycle several times. Each time the PCDU recycled, it also reset the display of new data on the remaining DUs. This caused an extended blank display followed by eventual reset of data. The pre-programmed response to the loss of the left DC bus was the loss of two DUs, one on each side of the cockpit.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,811 hours in all; 1,677 in this make and model; 7,681 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 15, 2002
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 873 in this make and model; 4,000 as pilot in command; 20 on instruments
- Last flight review: February 1, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,304.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 3, 2003; 195.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 121,000 lb
- Seats: 123
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Rolls-Royce BR715-A2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Rolls-Royce BR715-A2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Tran Airways
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 2:06 am
- Destination: LGA Flushing NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 04, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 020° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,700 ft; a few clouds at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 3:51 am from LGA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 22 | 55 |
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.