Boeing 727-247 incident near Juneau, Alaska, October 8, 1983
On October 8, 1983 at about 1:13 am local time, a Boeing 727-247, registered N2808W, suffered minor damage in an incident near Juneau, Alaska. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 87 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 8, 1983 · about 1:13 am local time
- Place
- Juneau, Alaska
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 87 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-247 · all 727-247s on the register
- Registration
- N2808W · registry record · serial 20580
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT DEVELOPED SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT ON TAKEOFF & SUBSEQUENTLY THE SMOKE ABATED. A SECOND EPISODE OCCURRED AT THE TOP OF THE CLIMB. THE RIGHT HAND TAXI LIGHT SWITCH HAD FAILED IN AN OVERHEAT CONDITION & BURNED THE INSULATION FROM AN ADJACENTWIRE.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 33,490 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 456 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 191,000 lb
- Seats: 152
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8D-15 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JNU Juneau AK at 1:08 am
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: overcast
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 80 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.