Boeing 747-300 PHBUL
20 April 1997 · Houston, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 20 April 1997 at about 21:15 local time, a Boeing 747-300 registered PHBUL was involved in an incident near Houston, Texas, United States. 299 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 21:15
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
- Coordinates
- 29.6095, -95.1201
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-300
- Registration
- PHBUL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 4
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 129: Foreign
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Amsterdam
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW97IA161
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 299 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 299 |
Probable cause
The first officer's failure to maintain clearance while taxiing around a standing airplane.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
An Air France Boeing 767 was number one in sequence for takeoff at the runup area for runway 14L. The Air France flight reported that they were not ready for takeoff. KLM flight 662 was cleared by ATC to taxi into position and hold for departure on 14L. While taxiing around the standing Air France 767, the extended right outboard leading edge flap from the KLM 747 impacted the left wing tip of the Air France 767, resulting in minor damage to both airplanes. Airport operations personnel reported that no fuel was spilled from either aircraft and both airplanes taxied back to their respective gates. Air France's maintenance personnel replaced the left wing navigation light assembly from the 767 and the airplane was released and departed approximately 3 hours after the intended departure time. According to the FAA inspector at the site, the wing tip is visible from the cockpit of the 747. Additionally, he stated that the side window was crazed. The scheduled departure time for KLM flight 662 was 1540.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 747 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 Sep 1997 | Boeing 747-422 | Grand Forks, North Dakota, United States | United Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1997 | Boeing 747-269B | Manaus, Brazil | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 1997 | Boeing 747-300 | Nimitz Hill, United States | - | Fatal | 228 |
| 14 May 1997 | Boeing 747-400 | London, United Kingdom | Air Canada | No injuries | - |
| 28 Dec 1997 | Boeing 747-122 | Pacific Ocean | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 12 Apr 1997 | Boeing 747-400 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Jun 1997 | Aero Commander CALLAIR A-9B | El Indio, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1997 | Cessna 182Q | Sugar Land, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jun 1997 | Piper PA-28RT-201 | Whitewright, Texas, United States | Centerline Aviation, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 30 Jun 1997 | Air Tractor AT-301 | Edna, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Jun 1997 | Cessna 152 | Gorman, Texas, United States | Spencer Jones | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Jul 1997 | Cessna 152 | Fort Worth, Texas, United States | Bridgeport Flight Training | Minor injuries | - |