Boeing 737-200 incident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, July 7, 1986
On July 7, 1986, a Boeing 737-200, registered N319US, was involved in an incident near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Pittsburgh airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 125 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1986
- Place
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania · Pittsburgh
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 125 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N319US · registry record · serial 19026
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
CO-PLT WAS FLYING ACFT ON SHORT FINAL APPROACH/LANDING. CAPT OBSERVED CO-PLT HAVING DIFFICULTY MAINTAINING GLIDESLOPE AND AIRSPEEDS. CO-PLT STOPPED FLYING THE ACFT. CAPT TOOK CONTROL AT 50' AGL AND LANDED SAFELY. MEDICAL HELP REQUESTED AND RECEIVED FROM CABIN AND GATE. CO-PLT HAD RAPID BREATHING, WEAK PULSE, COLD SWEAT AND SEVERE TREMBLING. CO-PLT OBSERVED BY MEDICS FOR 30 MINUTES BEFORE GOING HOME. CO-PLT REMOVED FROM FLT STATUS AND MEDICALLY EXAMINED - EVENT DIAGNOSED RELATED TO STRESS, EMOTION AND FATIGUE. CO-PLT RETURNED TO FLIGHT STATUS WITH LINECHECK CAPTAIN. PERFORMANCE WAS SUB-STANDARD DUE TO SIMILIAR SYMPTOMS. FURTHER MEDICAL EXAM CONDUCTED. CO-PLT ADMITTED HEAVY USE OF ALCOHOL. SUBSEQUENT DIAGNOSIS WAS ANXIETY DISORDER COMPLICATED BY ALCOHOL ABUSE. FAA REVOKED 1ST CLASS MEDICAL CITING ALCOHOLISM.NO TOX TESTS CONDUCTED AT TIME OF INCIDENT - SPECIFIC CAUSE OF INCAPACITATION UNDETERMINED.
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: 7,480 hours in all; 1,180 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 100,800 lb
- Seats: 118
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas TX
- Destination: PIT Pittsburgh PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 32, 8,100 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: at 5 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 118 |
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.