Boeing 727-223 accident near Memphis, Tennessee, March 12, 1986
On March 12, 1986 at about 1:17 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N877AA, was involved in an accident near Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 68 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
- March 12, 1986 · about 1:17 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · Memphis
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 68 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N877AA · registry record · serial 21389
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 502 EXPERIENCED A FIRE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATION ON NO. 1 ENGINE AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 6000 FEET. THE PILOT DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND RETURNED TO MEMPHIS. FOLLOWING THE LANDING THE PILOT ORDERED A PASSENGER EMERGENCY EVACUATION. DURING THE EVACUATION THE REAR SLIDE DEFLATED AFTER THE SLIDE MATERIAL WAS PUNCTURED. THE EXAMINATION OF THE MATERIAL DISCLOSED THAT THE PUNCTURE WAS THE RESULT OF A SHOE HEEL. THE EXAMINATION OF THE FIRE WARNING SYSTEM DISCLOSED THAT A DUCT CONNECTOR IN THE SYSTEM HAD FAILED. THE INJURY RECEIVED BY THE INJURED PASSENGER RESULTED FROM JUMPING OFF THE LEFT WING SURFACE DURING THE EVACUATION PHASE.
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: 11,670 hours in all; 5,450 in this make and model; 117 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,453 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 191,500 lb
- Seats: 150
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: Memphis TN at 1:00 pm
- Destination: Nashville TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17R, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 1:30 pm from MEM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 61 |
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.