Boeing 727-243 N571PE
3 December 1987 · Houston, Texas, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 3 December 1987 at about 18:34 local time, a Boeing 727-243 registered N571PE was involved in an incident near Houston, Texas, United States. 87 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 18:34
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Houston, Texas, United States
- Nearest airport
- Houston Intercontinental (IAH)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-243
- Registration
- N571PE
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 3
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- El Paso → Houston
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- FTW88IA037
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 87 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 87 |
Probable cause
IMPROPER DRILLING OF THE CROSS HOLE IN THE SLAT TRACK BEARING BOLT, WHICH LED TO ITS FAILURE FROM FATIGUE CRACKING.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
DURING THE APPROACH TO LANDING THE NUMBER SIX LEADING EDGE SLAT ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE INBOARD SECTION OF THE SLAT HUNG DOWN AND BENT AFT. THE PILOT LANDED THE ACFT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS OF COMPONENTS REVEALED THAT A SLAT TRACK ROLLER BEARING CONTAINED EVIDENCE OF CORROSION AND SPALLING. ADDITIONALLY, THE SLAT TRACK BEARING BOLT THAT HAD BEEN INSTALLED THROUGH THE ABOVE MENTIONED BEARING HAD HEAVY CIRCUMFERENTIAL GOUGES CONTAINED IN THE SURFACE OF A CROSS-DRILLED HOLE AT THE AREAS OF FATIGUE INITIATION. THERE WAS ALSO EVIDENCE OF TEARING, TYPICAL OF DAMAGE PRODUCED DURING DRILLING WITH A DULL DRILL BIT. THE AIRPLANE HAD COMPLETED A MAJOR STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE CHECK 48 FLIGHT HOURS AND 28 CYCLES PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 727 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jun 1987 | Boeing 727-251 | Casper, Wyoming, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Sep 1987 | Boeing 727 | Tulsa, Oklahoma, United States | Eastern Airlines, Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 28 Oct 1987 | Boeing 727-214 | St Croix | Pan American World Airways | No injuries | - |
| 6 Jan 1987 | Boeing 727-223 | Tampa, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1987 | Boeing 727-231 | Miami, Florida, United States | Trans World Airlines | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1987 | Boeing 727-247 | Calgary, Canada | Western Airlines | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 23 Oct 1987 | Cessna 152 | New Caney, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 31 Oct 1987 | Cessna 150 | San Angelo, Texas, United States | David Sibley | Minor injuries | - |
| 7 Mar 1987 | Cessna 182P | Refugio, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 11 Nov 1987 | Piper PA-18-150 | Dallas, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 9 Mar 1987 | Piper PA-23-250 | George West, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Mar 1987 | Cessna 172P | Roanoke, Texas, United States | - | No injuries | - |