Boeing 737-300 incident near Mcconnellsburg, Pennsylvania, August 7, 1998
On August 7, 1998 at about 3:29 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N515AU, suffered minor damage in an incident near Mcconnellsburg, Pennsylvania. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 10 people had minor injuries; 122 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A high altitude encounter with wake vortices.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1998 · about 3:29 pm local time
- Place
- Mcconnellsburg, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 10 people had minor injuries; 122 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N515AU · no longer on the register · serial 23701
- 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 Boeing 737 began an uncommanded roll during its climb, just prior to passing through 29,700 feet. The roll angle was most acute about 29,800 feet, when roll reversal began. The captain recovered the airplane, and diverted to a nearby airport without further incident. The weather, both prior to, and after the event, included clear conditions and a smooth ride. Radar analysis revealed that a DC-10, about 10 nautical miles ahead, had climbed through the same area, but 600 feet higher, approximately 1 minute and 11 seconds earlier.
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: 14,824 hours in all; 3,532 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 16 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 37,397 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 10, 1998; 139 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 139,000 lb
- Seats: 132
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHL Philadelphia PA at 2:43 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 7 | 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.