Boeing 727-100 incident near Chattan00Gr, Tennessee, March 24, 1985
On March 24, 1985 at about 9:40 pm local time, a Boeing 727-100, registered N285AT, was involved in an incident near Chattan00Gr, Tennessee. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person had minor injuries; 130 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 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
- March 24, 1985 · about 9:40 pm local time
- Place
- Chattan00Gr, Tennessee
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 130 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-100 · all 727-100s on the register
- Registration
- N285AT · registry record · serial 19152
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
APPROXIMATELY 8 HOURS INTO HIS DUTY DAY, AFTER FLYING FOR APPROXIMATELY 6 HOURS. THE FIRST OFFICER EXPERIENCED A 20 SECOND EPISODE OF SIMPLE VASO-VASO SYNCOPE (FAINTING), AS DIAGNOSED BY THE FAA AEROMEDICAL STANDARDS DIVISION MANAGER. THIS OCCURRED AS HE WAS ENROUTE TO THE LAVATORY FROM THE RIGHT SEAT. HE WAS REVIVED WITH AN AMMONIA INHALENT INTERVIEWS WITH THE FIRST OFFICER BY AVIATION MEDICAL EXAMINERS REVEALED THAT HE HAD BEEN ILL WITH INFLUENZA FOR THREE WEEKS PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT BUT THOUGHT HE HAD RECOVERED. IN ADDITION, DURING THIS THRE WEEK PERIOD HE WAS INTENTIONALLY DIETING AND EXPERIENCED A TEN POUND WEIGHT LOSS. THE AEROMEDICAL STANDARDS MANAGER BELIEVERS THAT THE EPISODE OF SYNCOPE IS NOT LIKELY TO OCCUR AGAIN. THE FIRST CLASS MEDICAL CERTIFICATE WAS SUBSEQUENTLY REISSUED TO THE FIRST OFFICER WITH THE AUTHORIZATION OF THE FEDERAL AIR SURGEON.
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: 7,000 hours in all; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 6,100 as pilot in command
- 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 JT-8D (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Montego Bay OF at 6:00 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:40 pm
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 126 |
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.