Boeing 727-51 incident near St. Paul, Minnesota, January 26, 1985
On January 26, 1985 at about 8:29 pm local time, a Boeing 727-51, registered N463US, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Paul, Minnesota (Minneapolis/St. Paul Arpt airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 61 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- January 26, 1985 · about 8:29 pm local time
- Place
- St. Paul, Minnesota · Minneapolis/St. Paul Arpt · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 61 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-51 · all 727-51s on the register
- Registration
- N463US · no longer on the register · serial 18799
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOF, THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED AN UNCONTAINED 7TH TO 8TH STAGE REMOVABLE SLEEVE COMPRESSOR SPACER FAILURE IN THE NUMBER 3 ENGINE. PIECES OF THE SPACER PASSED THROUGH THE NUMBER 2 ENGINES DUCT CAUSING COMPRESSOR STALLS IN THAT ENGINE. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SUCESSFULLY 9 MINUTES AFTER TAKEOFF USING THE SINGLE GOOD ENGINE. METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE RECOVERED SPACER PIECES REVEALED THAT CADMIUM EMBRITTLEMENT HAD OCCURRED AROUND AT LEAST ONE TIEROD SLEEVE HOLE ON THE SPACER. THIS EMBRITTLEMENT OCCURRED BECAUSE THE SPACER WAS INCOMPLETELY PLATED WITH NICKLE DURING A SPACER MODIFICATION THAT TOOK PLACE IN 1975. THE INCOMPLETE NICKLE PLATING ALLOWED A SUBSEQUENT CADIUM LAYER TO COME IN CONTACT WITH THE STEEL SPACER, CAUSING THE EMBRITTLEMENT.
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: 8,452 hours in all; 3,890 in this make and model; 103 in the last 90 days; 59 in the last 30 days
- 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 JT8D-7B (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSP at 8:26 pm
- Destination: DFW Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 240° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast; not recorded
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 5°F (-15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from MSP, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| Passengers | 52 |
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.