Boeing 727-223 accident near Little Rock, Arkansas, April 23, 1985
On April 23, 1985 at about 9:23 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N856AA, was involved in an accident near Little Rock, Arkansas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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
- April 23, 1985 · about 9:23 pm local time
- Place
- Little Rock, Arkansas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 3 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N856AA · registry record · serial 20997
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS PARALLELING A LINE OF THUNDERSTORMS AND NEEDED TO GET ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE LINE TO GET TO HIS DESTINATION. THE CENTER CONTROLLER SUGGESTED THAT HE REVERSE COURSE TO FLY AROUND THE CLOSER END OF THE LINE BUT THE PILOT DECIDED TO PENETRATE THE LINE INSTEAD. THE PILOT STATED HE WAS BETWEEN TWO THUNDERSTORM CELLS AT LEAST 45 NM APART WHEN THE AIRCRAFT RAN INTO SEVERE TURBULENCE. THE AIRCRAFT LOST 500 FT OF ALTITUDE AND TWO FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE INJURED. THEY WERE INSTRUCTED TO SIT DOWN EARLIER BUT DID NOT HAVE TIME TO STRAP IN. A PASSENGER ON HIS WAY TO THE LAVATORY REFUSED TO SIT DOWN WHEN INSTRUCTED TO DO SO BY THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND WAS INJURED ALSO DURING THE TURBULENCE ENCOUNTER.
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: 15,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8-D (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX at 8:39 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 15,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 3 |
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.