Boeing 737-130 incident near Newark, New Jersey, March 15, 1993
On March 15, 1993 at about 2:20 pm local time, a Boeing 737-130, registered N14212, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 61 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE/INSPECTION BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL, THE MANUFACTURER'S INADEQUATE INSPECTION AND/OR REPLACEMENT PROCEDURES FOR THE AILERON CABLES, AND SUBSEQUENT FAILURE OF THE 'DOWN' AILERON CONTROL CABLE DUE TO WEAR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 15, 1993 · about 2:20 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 61 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-130 · all 737-130s on the register
- Registration
- N14212 · no longer on the register · serial 19029
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IMMEDIATELY AFTER LIFT-OFF, THE AIRPLANE ROLLED LEFT, BUT THE PILOT CONTROLLED THE ROLL WITH RIGHT AILERON. THE LEFT AILERON WAS OBSERVED IN A FULL UP POSITION. THE CAPTAIN ELECTED TO RETURN & LAND AT THE AIRPORT. WITH SNOW ON THE RUN- WAY, HE DECIDED TO USE 15 DEGREE WING FLAPS UNTIL 300', THEN EXTEND THE FLAPS TO 30 DEGREES. HE SAID HE NEEDED FULL RIGHT AILERON TO MAINTAIN CONTROL ONCE THE FLAPS WERE EXTENDED TO 30 DEGREES. AN EXAM REVEALED THE LEFT 'DOWN' AILERON CABLE (FOR DOWN MOVEMENT) HAD BROKEN. ALSO, THE LEFT 'UP' AILERON CABLE & BOTH RIGHT AILERON CABLES WERE WORN & WERE REPLACED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED NUMEROUS WORN STRANDS IN THE CABLES. A 'C' CHECK/INSPECTION OF THE AILERON CABLES HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED ON 12/20/92 (580 FLIGHT HOURS BEFORE INCIDENT) VIA PROCEDURES. PROCEDURES LACKED DETAILS & NO SERVICE LIFE WAS ESTABLISHED FOR AILERON CONTROL CABLES. THE 1968 MODEL AIRPLANE HAD ABOUT 59,000 FLIGHT HOURS; NO RECORD OF PREVIOUS CABLE REPLACEMENT WAS FOUND.
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: 29,600 hours in all; 14,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 58,997 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 20, 1992; 580 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 111,000 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: EWR at 2:00 pm
- Destination: GSO Greensboro NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22R, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | |||
| Passengers | 57 |
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.