Boeing 727-225 incident near Charleston, South Carolina, August 29, 1985
On August 29, 1985 at about 7:30 pm local time, a Boeing 727-225, registered N8832E, was involved in an incident near Charleston, South Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 7 people had minor injuries; 118 others were unhurt. 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
- August 29, 1985 · about 7:30 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, South Carolina · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 7 people had minor injuries; 118 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-225 · all 727-225s on the register
- Registration
- N8832E · no longer on the register · serial 20151
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS LEVEL AT 330 WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED TURBULANCE AND THE ARCRAFT MOVED AN ESTIMATED 200 FEET DOWN THEN UP BEFORE THE CREW COULD REGAIN ALTITUDE CONTROL. TWO FLIGHT ATTENDENTS AND SEVERAL PASSENGERS INITIALLY COMPLAINED OF INJURIES. NO DOCUMENTATION OF THESE INJURIES HAS BEEN RECEIVED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS INSPECTED AND RELEASED.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 6 | ||
| Passengers | 5 | 112 |
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.