Boeing 737-200 incident near Columbus, Ohio, June 11, 1987
On June 11, 1987 at about 12:34 pm local time, a Boeing 737-200, registered N782N, was involved in an incident near Columbus, Ohio (Port Columbus Intl. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 77 people were on board or involved. 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 11, 1987 · about 12:34 pm local time
- Place
- Columbus, Ohio · Port Columbus Intl. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 77 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N782N · no longer on the register · serial 22352
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLT ATTENDANT RPTED SMOKE IN CABIN AND PUNGENT ODOR WHICH DISSIPATED. AFTER DESCENT FOR LANDING WAS BEGUN SMOKE AND ODOR RETURNED. PAX INFORMED FLT CREW OF SMOKE INTENSITY AND PRECAUTIONALRY LANDING WAS MADE AT DIVERT FIELD. SUBSEQUENT EXAM REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT AIR CONDITIONING AIR CYCLE MACHINE LEAKED OIL INTO THE HEAT EXCHANGER DUE TO A NICKED OIL SLINGER RING. TURBINE OIL WAS OVERHEATED IN THE HEAT EXCHANGER PRODUCING SMOKE.
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: 16,341 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,407 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 11, 1986; 1,350 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 89,850 lb
- Seats: 118
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Piedmont Aviation,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 11:17 am
- Destination: DAY Dayton OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10R, 10,701 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:44 pm from CMH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 72 |
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 N782N 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.