Boeing 727-223 incident near Nashville, Tennessee, May 15, 1991
On May 15, 1991 at about 1:13 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N882AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 138 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE CAPTAIN'S FAILURE TO MAINTAIN A PROPER GLIDE PATH AFTER DISCONNECTION OF THE AUTOPILOT DURING THE FINAL APPROACH. FACTORS IN THIS ACCIDENT WERE: THE CAPTAIN'S FAILURE TO FOLLOW COMPANY PROCEDURES FOR CATEGORY II APPROACHES, THE FIRST OFFICER'S FAILURE TO ADEQUATELY MONITOR THE APPROACH DURING THE FINAL PHASE, PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, AND THE LOW VISIBILITY AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1991 · about 1:13 pm local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · Nashville International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 138 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N882AA · no longer on the register · serial 21521
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLT 1206 WAS ON FINAL FOR A CAT II ILS RWY 2L APCH. THE LAST RPRTD RVR PRIOR TO LANDING WAS 700 FT, & 1200 FT RVR WAS RPRTD AS THE FLT CROSSED THE OUTER MARKER. MINIMUMS FOR THE APCH WERE 1200 FT RVR. ON SHORT FINAL, THE CAPT SAW APCH LIGHTS & DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPILOT AS THE ACFT DSCNDD BELOW 200 FT AGL. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN 408 FT SHORT OF THE RWY THRESHOLD, DAMAGING THE APCH LIGHTING SYS & THE ACFT. DFDR READOUT REVEALED THE ACFT RATE OF DSCNT INCREASED FROM 720 FPM TO 1400 FPM AFTER THE AUTOPILOT WAS DISCONNECTED, WHILE AIRSPEED REMAINED CONSTANT. INSPN OF THE ACFT NAV EQUIP & ARPT NAV AIDS REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF MALFUNCTION. ALTHOUGH THE CAPT STATED THAT HE HAD THE APCH LIGHTS VISUALLY, HE WAS UNAWARE THE ACFT HAD LANDED SHORT. THE FLT ENGINEER STATED HE FELT THE ACFT HAD INDEED LANDED SHORT. THE CAPT DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPILOT AT ABOUT 200 FEET AGL, ALTHOUGH COMPANY PROCEDURES REQUIRED USE OF THE AUTOPILOT DOWN TO DECISION HEIGHT (100 FT AGL).
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,542 hours in all; 1,542 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 178,000 lb
- Seats: 154
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MSY New Orleans LA at 11:18 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2L, 7,702 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 020° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:01 pm from BNA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 132 |
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.