Boeing 727-225 incident near Atlanta, Georgia, November 29, 1989
On November 29, 1989 at about 8:45 pm local time, a Boeing 727-225, registered N8835E, suffered minor damage in an incident near Atlanta, Georgia (Hartsfield Atlanta Int'L). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 53 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE AND INSPECTION BY THE OPERATOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 1989 · about 8:45 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · Hartsfield Atlanta Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 53 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-225 · all 727-225s on the register
- Registration
- N8835E · no longer on the register · serial 20154
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING GEAR RETRACTION AFTER TAKEOFF, THE FLIGHT CREW NOTED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR (MLG) DOOR WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE LANDING GEAR WAS CYCLED, BUT THE CONDITION WAS NOT CORRECTED. ATTEMPTS TO EXTEND THE RIGHT MLG WERE UNSUCCESSFUL & THE RIGHT MLG REMAINED PARTIALLY EXTENDED. SUBSEQUENTLY A LANDING WAS MADE WITH THE LEFT MLG AND NOSE GEAR EXTENDED & THE RIGHT MLG PARTIALLY EXTENDED. AFTER LANDING THE ACFT WAS LIFTED FROM THE RWY & THE RIGHT MLG FELL FREELY. THE UPLOCK HOOK WAS FOUND POSITIONED UP. EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT THE DOOR ACTUATOR BOLTS WERE LOOSE & THE SERRATED PLATE HAD BEEN DISPLACED. THE BOLTS SHOULD BE INSTALLED WITH 25-42 FT-LBS TORQUE; INBOARD WAS LOOSENED WITH 10 FT-LBS, TWO OTHERS WERE FINGER TIGHT. ACTUATOR FITTING DISPLACED FULLY OUTBOARD. BOEING SERVICE LETTER 727-SL-32-47 APPLIES.
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: 16,000 hours in all; 5,026 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 173,000 lb
- Seats: 152
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ALB Albany NY at 5:37 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9L, 11,889 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:10 pm from ATL, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 46 |
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.