Douglas DC-8-54F incident near New York, New York, December 25, 1994
On December 25, 1994 at about 7:00 am local time, a Douglas DC-8-54F, registered N427FB, suffered minor damage in an incident near New York, New York (John F. Kennedy Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR'S SHOCK STRUT PISTON LUG DUE TO STRESS CORROSION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 1994 · about 7:00 am local time
- Place
- New York, New York · John F. Kennedy Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8-54F · all DC-8-54Fs on the register
- Registration
- N427FB · no longer on the register · serial 45684
- 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 TAKEOFF ROLL, THE AIRPLANE'S RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR FAILED. POST INCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE GEAR REVEALED THAT ITS SHOCK STRUT PISTON LUG HAD FAILED DUE TO STRESS CORROSION.
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: 10,729 hours in all; 700 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 78 in the last 30 days; 8,709 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 59,411 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 23, 1994; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 315,000 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D-3B (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Fine Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: POS Port Of Spain OF
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 31L, 14,572 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:00 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
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.