Boeing 727-251 incident near Detroit, Michigan, March 28, 1988
On March 28, 1988 at about 1:20 am local time, a Boeing 727-251, registered N277US, was involved in an incident near Detroit, Michigan (Detroit airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 24 people had minor injuries; 131 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 28, 1988 · about 1:20 am local time
- Place
- Detroit, Michigan · Detroit
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 24 people had minor injuries; 131 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-251 · all 727-251s on the register
- Registration
- N277US · registry record · serial 21156
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
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: 5,200 hours in all; 4,200 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 29,839 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 176 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 152,000 lb
- Seats: 160
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Northwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SAN San Diego CA at 9:10 pm
- Destination: DTW Detroit MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 280° at 3 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 36°F (2°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 9 | ||
| Passengers | 23 | 122 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N277US the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.