Boeing 727-222 and Boeing 747 incident near Anchorage, Alaska, January 9, 1989
On January 9, 1989 at about 4:58 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Boeing 727-222 (N7298U) and Boeing 747 (N7464), were involved in the same incident near Anchorage, Alaska (Anchorage airport). No one was hurt; 441 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLACEMENT OF THE 727 ON THE RAMP AND THE FAILURE OF THE 747 CREW TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION.
IMPROPER PLACEMENT OF THE 727 ON THE RAMP AND THE FAILURE OF THE 747 CREW TO MAINTAIN SEPARATION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 1989 · about 4:58 pm local time
- Place
- Anchorage, Alaska · Anchorage · map
- Type
- Incident · collision on the ground
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 441 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Boeing 727-222 · all 727-222s on the register
- Registration
- N7298U · no longer on the register · serial 21833
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Boeing 747 · all 747s on the register
- Registration
- N7464 · no longer on the register · serial 20771
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 727-222 final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 727 WAS PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE, AND WAS PARKED ON THE NONMOVEMENT AREA OF THE RAMP. A KOREAN AIRLINES BOEING 747 WAS TAXIING WEST ON THE TAXIWAY, WHEN THE B-747'S RIGHT WINGTIP STRUCK THE LOWER RUDDER ON THE B-737. THE B-747 WAS 3 FEET OFF THE CENTER LINE TAXIWAY; THE B-727 WAS PUSHED BACK AWAY FROM THE GATE AND WAS PARKED. THE TAIL SECTION OF THE B-727 WAS INSIDE THE TAXI ZONE WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 747 final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE UNITED AIRLINES BOEING 727 WAS PUSHED BACK FROM THE GATE, AND WAS PARKED ON THE NONMOVEMENT AREA OF THE RAMP. A KOREAN AIRLINES BOEING 747 WAS TAXIING WEST ON THE TAXIWAY, WHEN THE B-727'S RIGHT WINGTIP STRUCK THE LOWER RUDDER ON THE B-727. THE B-747 WAS 3 FEET OFF THE CENTER LINE TAXIWAY; THE B-727 WAS PUSHED BACK AWAY FROM THE GATE AND WAS PARKED. THE TAIL SECTION OF THE B-727 WAS INSIDE THE TAXI ZONE WHEN THE COLLISION OCCURRED.
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 for the Boeing 727-222 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 17,200 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30,401 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 26, 1988; 105 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 142
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 90 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:00 pm from ANC, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 48 |
The factual record for the Boeing 747 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 775,000 lb
- Seats: 459
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-7A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Korean Airlines
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 21 | |||
| Passengers | 366 |
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.