Airbus Industrie A-300 incident near Newark, New Jersey, December 7, 1993
On December 7, 1993 at about 1:10 am local time, a Airbus Industrie A-300, registered N16982, suffered minor damage 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; 163 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE SEPARATION OF THE RIGHT OUTBOARD TRANSLATING COWL ON THE #2 ENGINE THRUST REVERSER AS A RESULT OF INADEQUATE BONDING MATERIAL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 1993 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 163 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-300 · all A-300s on the register
- Registration
- N16982 · no longer on the register · serial 091
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING THE LANDING ROLL, THE PILOT INITIATED THE THRUST REVERSERS OF BOTH ENGINES. THE #2 ENGINE TRANSLATING COWL SEPARATED DURING THE ROLL AND THE PARTS FELL TO THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE TRANSLATING COWL COMPONENTS REVEALED THAT A JOINT WAS IMPROPERLY BONDED DURING A REPAIR. THIS JOINT SEPARATED AT DEPLOYMENT OF THE REVERSER UNIT DURING THE LANDING, AND THE TRANSLATING COWL UNIT FAILED. ANOTHER AIRPLANE, A BUSINESS EXPRESS BEECH 100, N7203C, IMPACTED THE DEBRIS ON THE RUNWAY DURING LANDING AND ALSO SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 41,274 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 4, 1993; 13 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 349,200 lb
- Seats: 257
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX
- Destination: EWR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 210° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:00 am from EWR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 152 |
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.