Boeing 727-224 incident near Detroit, Michigan, September 20, 1991
On September 20, 1991 at about 10:40 pm local time, a Boeing 727-224, registered N88704, suffered minor damage in an incident near Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Metro Wayne CO. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 136 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADEQUATE MAINTENANCE INSPECTION OF THE MAIN LANDING GEAR ACTUATOR ASSEMBLY BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL. A FACTOR IN THE INCIDENT IS INADEQUATE DESIGN OF THE LANDING GEAR ACTUATOR BY THE MANUFACTURER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1991 · about 10:40 pm local time
- Place
- Detroit, Michigan · Detroit Metro Wayne CO. · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 136 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-224 · all 727-224s on the register
- Registration
- N88704 · no longer on the register · serial 19513
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE INCIDENT AIRPLANE LANDED WITH THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR PARTIALLY EXTENDED. THE LANDING GEAR HAD FAILED TO RETRACT PROPERLY AFTER TAKEOFF. THE AIRPLANE REMAINED IN THE AREA OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WHILE THE CREW, IN CONCERT WITH COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL AND THE AIRPLANE MANUFACTURER, UNSUCCESSFULLY ATTEMPTED TO TROUBLESHOOT AND RESTORE THE LANDING GEAR TO WORKING ORDER. THEY LANDED BACK AT THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT WITH CRASH FIRE RESCUE EQUIPMENT STANDING BY. FIRE TRUCKS APPLIED FOAM TO THE LEFT WING AND WHEEL AREA AFTER THE AIRPLANE STOPPED ON THE RUNWAY. AFTER LANDING THE CREW AND PASSENGERS EXITED THE AIRPLANE USING THE AIRCRAFT AIRSTAIRS. INSPECTION OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR (MLG) REVEALED THE LANDING GEAR TRUCKS HAD BEEN CAPTURED AND SUSPENDED IN AN INTERMEDIATE POSITION BY THE LEFT MAIN GEAR INBOARD DOOR ASSEMBLY. EXAMINATION OF THE MLG DOOR ACTUATOR FITTING SHOWED THE ACTUATOR HAD MOVED TO THE FAR END OF THE AVAILABLE ADJUSTMENT RANGE.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 29,000 hours in all; 1,999 in this make and model; 270 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 18,000 as pilot in command; 4,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 26, 1991
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 3, 12,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 pm from DTW, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 129 |
Other NTSB records under N88704 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI91IA297.