Douglas DC-9-30 incident near Newark, New Jersey, July 26, 1989
On July 26, 1989, a Douglas DC-9-30, registered N556NY, suffered minor damage in an incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 89 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
RUPTURE OF A FLEXIBLE HIGH PRESSURE HYDRAULIC LINE IN THE 'A' HYDRAULIC SYSTEM, DUE TO CHAFING OF THE STEEL BRAID COVERING, WHICH ALLOWED THE SYSTEM PRESSURE AND QUANTITY TO BE COMPLETELY DEPLETED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 1989
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 89 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-9-30 · all DC-9-30s on the register
- Registration
- N556NY · no longer on the register · serial 47423
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CREW OF CONTINENTAL AIRLINES FLIGHT 354 EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF THE LEFT HYDRAULIC SYSTEM AND STARTED TO LOSE HYDRAULIC QUANTITY FROM THE RIGHT SYSTEM. ANTICIPATING A LOSS OF BOTH SYSTEMS, THE CREW SHUT DOWN BOTH PUMPS AND MADE AN EMERGENCY LANDING AT NEWARK INTL AIRPORT, NJ. THE LANDING WAS NORMAL UNTIL AT 80 KNOTS AIRSPEED, THEN THE LEFT TIRES BLEW OUT. THE AIRCRAFT THEN SWERVED TO THE LEFT AND CAME TO A HALT 30 FT LEFT OF THE RUNWAY CENTERLINE.
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: 12,000 hours in all; 900 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 46,652 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 24, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 110
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22L, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 260° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 84 |
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.