Boeing 737-277 N184AW
23 June 1987 · Los Angeles, California, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 23 June 1987 at about 03:39 local time, a Boeing 737-277 registered N184AW, operated by America West Airlines, was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, California, United States. 83 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 03:39
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Los Angeles, California, United States
- Nearest airport
- Los Angeles Int'l (LAX)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-277
- Registration
- N184AW
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- America West Airlines
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Phoenix
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- Unk
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX87LA243
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 83 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 83 |
Probable cause
FAILURE OF THE QUALIFIED MECHANIC TO INSURE THE OPERATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BRAKES PRIOR TO TAXIING AND HIS FAILURE TO UTILIZE THE EMERGENY BRAKE SYSTEM TO PREVENT THE COLLISION. CONTRIBUTING TO THIS ACCIDENT WAS THE DECISION OF AIRLINE MAINTENANCE SUPERVISORS TO ALLOW A NON-QUALIFIED MECHANIC TO PERFORM RIGHT SEAT/FLIGHT ENGINEER PANEL DUTIES. ALSO CONTRIBUTING WAS THE QUALIFIED MECHANICS FAILURE TO USE THE AIRCRAFT'S INERTIAL NAVIGATION SYSTEM FOR CROSS REFERENCE OF TAXI SPEED.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A BOEING 747SP COLLIDED WITH THE TAIL OF A BOEING 737. THE 737 WAS LINED UP ON A PARALLEL TAXIWAY AWAITING DEPARTURE. THE 747 WAS TAXIING FROM A TERMINAL GATE TO MAINTENANCE. THE 747 WAS BEING OPERATED BY TWO MECHANICS. ONE OF THE MECHANICS WAS NOT QUALIFIED TO TAXI THE 747. NO. 4 ENG HUNG START AND WAS NOT RUNNING DURING TAXI. THE NO. 4 ENG HYD SYS WAS SWITCHED OFF. THE NO. 4 HYD SYS IS THE PRIMARY POWER FOR THE ACFT BRAKE SYS. THE 747'S INERTIAL NAV SYS (INS) IS REQUIRED TO OPERATE WHILE TAXIING FOR SPEED REFERENCE. THE INS WAS ALSO SWITCHED OFF. THE 747 SPEED BECAME EXCESSIVE ON PARALLEL TAXIWAY. WHEN MECH ATTEMPTED TO STOP THERE WAS NO BRAKE POWER. 747 R WING COLLIDED WITH TAIL OF 737. THE AIRLINE MAINT SUPERVISOR OF 747'S WAS AWARE OF THE MECH NON-QUAL AND THE NO. 4 ENG NOT OPERATING. DECISION WAS MADE TO LET THE ACFT TAXI CONTRARY TO PROCEDURES.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boeing 737-277 737-277 | N184AW | America West Airlines | Substantial |
| Boeing 747SP 747SP | N141UA | United Airlines | Substantial |
Other Boeing 737 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 Feb 1987 | Boeing 737-2A6 | Durango, Colorado, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1987 | Boeing 737-300 | Midland, Texas, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 25 Nov 1987 | Boeing 737-387 | Los Angeles, California, United States | Usair | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Sep 1987 | Boeing 737 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Usair | Serious injuries | - |
| 4 Jan 1987 | Boeing 737-200 | Newark, New Jersey, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 5 Dec 1987 | Boeing 737-2B7 | Deptford, New Jersey, United States | - | No injuries | - |
All 1,317 records for this type
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Nov 1987 | Durbin MONNETT MONI | Ramona, California, United States | Lipner, Robert M. | Serious injuries | - |
| 24 Dec 1987 | Bede BD-5 | Chula Vista, California, United States | Teufel, Armin U. | Fatal | 1 |
| 25 Oct 1987 | Stits ELKINS 85 | Camarillo, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 21 Nov 1987 | Isgrigg ELITE | Tehachapi, California, United States | Isgrigg, John | Minor injuries | - |
| 27 Dec 1987 | Rolladen-Schneider LS-3 | Santa Ynez, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 1 Jan 1987 | Cessna 152 | San Dimas, California, United States | King Aviation | Minor injuries | - |