Boeing 727-257 N712RC
4 July 1995 · Las Vegas, Nevada, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 4 July 1995 at about 18:03 local time, a Boeing 727-257 registered N712RC, operated by Northwest Airlines, Inc., was involved in an incident near Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. 53 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 18:03
- Classification
- Incident
- Location
- Las Vegas, Nevada, United States
- Nearest airport
- McCarran International (LAS)
- Coordinates
- 36.2509, -115.0410
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-257
- Registration
- N712RC
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 3
- Operator
- Northwest Airlines, Inc.
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Detroit → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Minor
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX95IA246
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 53 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 53 |
Probable cause
A shear failure of the right main landing gear outer cylinder trunnion due to fatigue and stress corrosion, and the operator's inadequate and improper overhaul procedures.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE CREW FELT THE AIRCRAFT LURCH TO THE RIGHT. AN INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR OUTER CYLINDER TRUNNION HAD SHEARED AT THE MAIN LANDING GEAR BEAM TRUNNION SUPPORT. THE OPERATOR REPORTED TWO SIMILAR PRIOR INCIDENTS. THE FAILED TRUNNION AND THE TWO FROM THE PRIOR OCCURRENCES WERE SENT TO BOEING FOR DETAILED METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. ACCORDING TO THE LAB REPORT, ALL THREE TRUNNIONS FAILED AS A RESULT OF A FATIGUE FRACTURE AND STRESS CORROSION WHICH INITIATED IN THE BLENDOUT TRANSITION RADIUS BETWEEN THE MACHINED DOWN TRUNNION JOURNAL AND THE CYLINDER. THE RADIUS WAS FOUND TO BE BELOW THE SPECIFIED MINIMUM AND NICKEL PLATING EXTENDED INTO THE AREA IN EXCESS OF THE LENGTH PERMITTED BY THE OVERHAUL MANUAL. SEVERE THROUGH-THICKNESS CRACKING IN THE CHROME PLATING WAS ALSO FOUND IN ALL THREE TRUNNIONS. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, BOEING 727 LANDING GEAR OVERHAUL REWORK IS PERFORMED IN-HOUSE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Boeing 727 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 May 1995 | Boeing 727-232 | West Palm Beach, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 3 Apr 1995 | Boeing 727-276 | Dfw Airport, Texas, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 1995 | Boeing 727-264 | Orlando, Florida, United States | American Trans Air | No injuries | - |
| 8 Dec 1995 | Boeing 727-232 | Boise, Idaho, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 16 Mar 1995 | Boeing 727-200 | Alma, Georgia, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 19 May 1995 | Boeing 727-227 | Brooksville, Florida, United States | Continental Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Jun 1995 | Cessna 310 | Henderson, Nevada, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 23 Jun 1995 | Cessna 172 | Yerington, Nevada, United States | Jesse N. Nish | No injuries | - |
| 21 Jul 1995 | Stinson L-5E | Elko, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1995 | Cessna 172P | Reno, Nevada, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Jul 1995 | Beechcraft P35 | Elko, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 4 Aug 1995 | Fox PEREGRINE PJ-2 | Minden, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |