Boeing 727-222 accident near Anchorage, Alaska, December 16, 1986
On December 16, 1986, a Boeing 727-222, registered N7635U, suffered minor damage in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people were seriously injured and 7 people had minor injuries; 93 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- December 16, 1986
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Anchorage Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 7 people had minor injuries; 93 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-222 · all 727-222s on the register
- Registration
- N7635U · no longer on the register · serial 19908
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ABOUT 10 MIN BEFORE ARRIVAL, THE ACFT SUDDENLY ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE WHICH ONE OCCUPANT DESCRIBED AS A SINGLE TREMENDOUS JOLT. THE MISHAP OCCURRED WHILE THE ACFT WAS APRX 39 MILES EAST OF ANCHORAGE INTL ARPT AND WAS DESCENDING THRU 10,000 FT. THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON & THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS (F/A'S) WERE PREPARING THE CABIN FOR LANDING. ONE PASSENGER & ONE F/A WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED; THE OTHER THREE F/A'S & THREE OF THE PASSENGERS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THERE WAS A SIGMET WHICH WARNED OF POSSIBLE TURBULENCE IN THE AREA.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,824 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 42,850 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, December 10, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 172,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 10:00 pm
- Destination: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:00 am from ANC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | 3 | |
| Passengers | 1 | 4 | 90 |
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.