Boeing 727-90C incident near Anchorage, Alaska, June 9, 1987
On June 9, 1987 at about 4:55 pm local time, a Boeing 727-90C, registered N766AS, was destroyed in an incident near Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. 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 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
- June 9, 1987 · about 4:55 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Anchorage International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-90C · all 727-90Cs on the register
- Registration
- N766AS · no longer on the register · serial 19728
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE MECHANIC IN CHARGE OF TAXIING THE BOEING 727 ALLOWED AN UNAUTHORIZED AVIONICS TECHNICIAN TO OCCUPY THE PILOT SEAT. THEY INADVERTENTLY DEACTIVATED THE BRAKE PRESSURIZATION SYSTEM AND STRUCK A PASSENGER JETWAY AT THE TERMINAL GATE. AN ENSUING FIRE DESTROYED THE AIRPLANE AND A COMPANY GROUND VEHICLE AND EXTENSIVELY DAMAGED THE JETWAY. THE TERMINAL GATE WAS ALSO DAMAGED. A TOTAL OF 11 PERSONS WERE INJURED.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 49,937 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 8, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 169,000 lb
- Seats: 76
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Alaska Airlines
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 am from ANC, 4 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N766AS the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.