Boeing 767-31AER incident near Boston, Massachusetts, May 28, 1996
On May 28, 1996 at about 6:21 pm local time, a Boeing 767-31AER, registered PHMCH, suffered minor damage in an incident near Boston, Massachusetts (Boston/Logan Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 202 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Numerous electrical anomalies as a result of a loose main battery shunt connection and undetermined electrical system causes.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 28, 1996 · about 6:21 pm local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts · Boston/Logan Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 202 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-31AER · all 767-31AERs on the register
- Registration
- PHMCH · no longer on the register · serial 24429
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Boeing 767-300ER had multiple electronic (elec) anomolies, en route, including illuminated warning lights, erroneous display indications, uncommanded autopilot disconnects, & failure of flight (flt) instruments. Flt diverted, & landing (lndg) was made with zero flaps & slats extended, thrust reversers inop, ground (gnd) spoilers inop & partial anti-skid. During lndg roll, 4 main tires failed; & 4 tires deflated due to heat/fuse plugs; small main lndg gear fire erupted, but was extinguished. Flt crew were unaware that thrust reversers & gnd spoilers were inop. They noted ANTI-SKID advisory, but with the workload of responding to the multiple electrical and system failures, did not respond to it. Investigation (inv) revealed systems on several elec buses failed or became intermittently inop, but other systems on same buses remained operative. Detailed gnd & flt tests were made, but anomalies could not be duplicated. Inv revealed negative cable for main battery was not positively secured due to stripped jam nut, & main battery shunt was not built up IAW Boeing specs. Boeing indicated loose battery shunt could cause interruption to gnd. Similar events were reported with 2 other acft of same operator, but query of Boeing data base did not find similar events. Boeing 767-300ER of another operator, same configuration, did not have similar events.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,600 hours in all; 3,738 in this make and model; 199 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 4,303 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30,802 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 21, 1996; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 407,000 lb
- Seats: 272
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW 4060 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EHAM Amsterdam, Nl OF at 10:49 am
- Destination: KMCO Orlando FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R, 10,081 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 14,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:58 pm from BOS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 191 |
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.