Boeing 727-225 incident near Richmond, Virginia, August 11, 1985
On August 11, 1985 at about 3:00 pm local time, a Boeing 727-225, registered N8856E, suffered minor damage in an incident near Richmond, Virginia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 78 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
- August 11, 1985 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Richmond, Virginia · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 78 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-225 · all 727-225s on the register
- Registration
- N8856E · no longer on the register · serial 20618
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT WAS IN CRUISE AT FL 350 WHEN THE CABIN CREW REPORTED A CABIN FIRE IN THE VICINITY OF SEAT 28A. SHORTLY AFTER, A LOWER AFT BODY OVERHEAT WARNING WAS RECVD. THE FLT DIVERTED TO RICHMOND, VA. DURING DESCENT, THE FLT CREW PERFORMED THE APPROPRIATE CHECKLIST AND THE LOWER AFT BODY CVHT LIGHT WENT OUT ABOUT 3 TO 4 MINS. AFTER IT ILLUMINATED. LATER EXAMINATION REVEALED THAT A PAX HANDBAG THAT WAS ON THE FLOOR AGAINST THE CABIN EXHAUST OUTLET ADJACENT TO SEAT 28A WAS EXTENSIVELY FIRE DAMAGED. THE CARPET UNDER THE HANDBAG WAS UNBURNED EXCEPT FOR A SMALL PORTION LEADING TO THE CABIN AIR EXHAUST OUTLET. LOCALIZED FIRE DAMAGE WAS PRESENT BEHIND AND BELOW THE OUTLET. AMONG THE CONTENTS OF THE HANDBAG WAS A BOTTLE OF HAIRSPRAY, FOUND WITH THE CAP LOOSE. THE LABEL ON THE BOTTLE WARNED THAT THE CONTENTS WERE FLAMMABLE. ROW 28 WAS IN THE SMOKING SECTION FOR THAT FLT.
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: 12,393 hours in all; 4,483 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,850 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 1, 1984
- Maximum gross weight: 173,000 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eastern Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 1:35 pm
- Destination: RSW Fort Myers FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 1,500 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:53 pm from RIC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 71 |
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.