Boeing B-727-29 incident near Washington, District of Columbia, February 17, 1990
On February 17, 1990 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Boeing B-727-29, registered N902TS, suffered minor damage in an incident near Washington, District of Columbia (Dulles Intl. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 86 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE ACCIDENT WAS FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR SUPPORT LINK SHAFT BECAUSE OF OVERTORQUE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 17, 1990 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Washington, District of Columbia · Dulles Intl.
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 86 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-727-29
- Registration
- N902TS · no longer on the register · serial 20448
- 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 CAPTAIN REPORTED THAT WHEN HE LOWERED THE LANDING GEAR ON APPROACH TO DCA, HE HEARD A LOUD THUMP AND HE GOT AN UNSAFE RIGHT MAIN GEAR INDICATION. ALSO, 'A' SYSTEM HYDRAULIC PRESSURE LOSS OCCURRED. THE PILOT LEARNED SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, FROM A CABIN CREWMEMBER, THAT THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR LANDING STRUT WAS PROTURDING THROUGH THE RIGHT WING SURFACE. THE CAPTAIN DID A LOW PASS OVER DCA, WHERE AIR TRAFFIC TONTROL PERSONNEL NOTICED THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR WAS DOWN; HOWEVER, THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR DOOR APPEARED TO BE PARTIALLY EXTENDED. AS A PRECAUTION, THE CAPTAIN DIVERTED THE FLIGHT TO IAD, WHERE THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR BEAM HANGER SUPPORT SHAFT FRACTURED, CAUSING THE RIGHT MAIN GEAR STRUT TO LOOSEN FROM ITS MOUNT AND PUNCTURE THE WING SKIN. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE SUPPORT SHAFT REVEALED A CRACK IN THE MATERIAL WHICH PRECEDED THE FRACTURE SEPARATION.
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
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: P&W JT8D- (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Trump Shuttle INC.
The flight
- Departed from: LGA New York NY at 8:00 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1L, 11,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 21 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from IAD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 79 |
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.