Boeing 747-200B accident near Washington, District of Columbia, August 11, 1987
On August 11, 1987 at about 4:25 pm local time, a Boeing 747-200B, registered JA182, was involved in an accident near Washington, District of Columbia (Dulles Intl. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 1 person was killed; 334 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
- August 11, 1987 · about 4:25 pm local time
- Place
- Washington, District of Columbia · Dulles Intl.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 334 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-200B · all 747-200Bs on the register
- Registration
- JA182 · no longer on the register · serial 23813
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A FLIGHT ATTENDANT FELL FROM THE ACFT DURING OPENING OF THE L5 DOOR. THE F/A WAS HELPING A COMPANY GROUND PERSON, WHO WAS OUTSIDE ON THE BOARDING STEP. THE BOARDING STEP WAS NOT AGAINST THE ACFT BUT ABOUT 1 FT AWAY FROM IT. WHEN THE DOOR WAS OPENED, THE F/A FELL THRU THE OPEN DOORWAY AND TO THE GROUND ABOUT 20 FT BELOW. THE COMPANY PROCEDURE REQUIRES HAND SIGNAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN PERSONNEL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE DURING DOOR OPENING. THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT RADIO COMMUNICATIONS WERE BEING USED BETWEEN THE GROUND PERSONNEL AND A COMPANY REP. THE GROUND PERSON COULD NOT ACTIVATE THE DOOR AND REQUESTED THE COMPANY REP TO OPEN IT. THE DOOR STILL WOULD NOT OPEN. THE COMPANY REP REQUESTED HELP FROM THE NEARBY FLIGHT ATTENDANT. THE BOARDING STEPS WERE INITIALLY FULLY AGAINST THE AIRCRAFT BUT WERE PULLED AWAY WHEN THE DOOR WOULD NOT CLEAR THE HANDRAILS OF THE BOARDING STEP. THE AIRFRAME HAS A CURVATURE AT THE L5 DOOR LOCATION. THE BOARDING STEP IS SQUARE SHAPED.
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: 12,065 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 195 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, August 6, 1987; 77 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 796,660 lb
- Seats: 325
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50E2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: Tokyo,Japan
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from DUL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 23 | ||
| Passengers | 311 |
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.