Boeing 727-231 incident near Detroit, Michigan, April 17, 1986
On April 17, 1986 at about 10:07 pm local time, a Boeing 727-231, registered N64324, was involved in an incident near Detroit, Michigan (Detorit Metro/Wayne Cnty airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 102 people were on board or involved. 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
- April 17, 1986 · about 10:07 pm local time
- Place
- Detroit, Michigan · Detorit Metro/Wayne Cnty · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 102 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-231 · all 727-231s on the register
- Registration
- N64324 · no longer on the register · serial 20099
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF A MALE PAX PANICKED AND SHOUTED 'OPEN THE DOOR!' DURING A SMOKE-IN-THE-CABIN OCCURRENCE (OVERHEATED A/C PACK). THE LEAD FA MISTOOK THIS 'INSTRUCTION' AS COMING FROM THE COCKPIT AND OPENED AN EXIT DOOR. PASSENGERS INTERPRETED HER ACTION AS CLEARANCE TO OPEN ANOTHER DOOR AND BEGAN TO EVACUATE. 21 PAX EVACUATED BEFORE THE CAPTAIN INTERVENED. TWO FLT ATTENDANTS WERE ON STRIKE AT THE TIME AND THE FLTS WERE BEING STAFFED BY SUPERVISORS AND NEW HIRES. THE LEAD FA ON THIS FLT WAS A SUPERVISOR WITH NO RECENT DAY-TO-DAY CABIN SUPERVISION EXPERIENCE.
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: 11,700 hours in all; 135 in the last 90 days; 45 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 JT-8D (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from DTW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 96 |
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.