Boeing 737-3M8 N303FL
29 November 2003 · Denver, Colorado, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 29 November 2003 at about 15:40 local time, a Boeing 737-3M8 registered N303FL, operated by Frontier Airlines Inc, was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado, United States. 135 people were on board and nobody was injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:40
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Denver, Colorado, United States
- Nearest airport
- Denver International (DEN)
- Coordinates
- 39.8583, -104.6669
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-3M8
- Registration
- N303FL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Frontier Airlines Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Milwaukee → Denver
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- DEN04IA026
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 135 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 135 |
Probable cause
The restricted movement of the flight control yoke and tiller wheel steering for reasons undetermined.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
While on final approach approximately 1/4 mile from the end of the runway, the captain applied right aileron to correct for a crosswind. He said the control yoke felt like it had "bound up." He used "excessive pressure" to get the control yoke to respond. An uneventful landing was made. During taxi, the captain cycled the control yoke left and right. After a few cycles, it seemed to move freely. He made an intentional sharp left turn and the tiller wheel seemed to "bind up." Mechanics performed a nose landing gear wheel steering test, and checked the cable tension to the nose wheel steering. A leak was discovered in the right hand nose steering accumulator, but the leak was "within limits." The case drain plugs and filters and the left and right hand aileron cables from the main wheel well outboard were inspected. Following flight control movement card 7-9002, mechanics performed an aileron PCU internal leak check. No discrepancies were noted. The airplane was then test flown and was returned to service. No data was recovered from the DFDR that would explain the event as described by the captain.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 737 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jan 2003 | Boeing 737-83N | Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | American Trans Air Inc | No injuries | - |
| 8 Jul 2003 | Boeing 737-200 | Port Sudan, Sudan | Sudan Airways | Fatal | 115 |
| 4 Oct 2003 | Boeing 737 | Boston, Massachusetts, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Oct 2003 | Boeing 737-400 | Changi Airport, Singapore | Malaysian Airlines | Unknown | - |
| 26 Jan 2003 | Boeing 737-2M9 | Rio Branco, Brazil | Viacao Aerea SAO Paulo S A | No injuries | - |
| 1 Feb 2003 | Boeing 737-400 | Vancouver, BC, Canada | Alaska Airlines Inc | No injuries | - |
All 1,317 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 Jul 2003 | Aerostar RX-8 | Snowmass Villag, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 2003 | Piper PA-28R-200 | Delta, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jun 2003 | Beechcraft S35 | Colorado Spring, Colorado, United States | Peter J. Vercouteren | No injuries | - |
| 23 Mar 2003 | Cessna 172S | Erie, Colorado, United States | Specialty Flight Training, Inc. | Minor injuries | - |
| 20 Mar 2003 | Beechcraft E-90 | Kremmling, Colorado, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 17 Jul 2003 | Cessna 172P | Watkins, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |