Boeing 747-238B accident near Belleville, Michigan, January 29, 1995
On January 29, 1995, a Boeing 747-238B, registered N706CK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Belleville, Michigan. It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of company maintenance personnel to adequately secure the cargo pallets, and the failure of the flightcrew to detect the deficiency during their preflight inspection.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 29, 1995
- Place
- Belleville, Michigan · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-238B · all 747-238Bs on the register
- Registration
- N706CK · registry record · serial 20010
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHTCREW REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT PRESSURIZED FOR THE 15 MINUTE REPOSITIONING FLIGHT, AND THE MAXIMUM ALTITUDE REACHED WAS 3,100 FEET. THEY REPORTED NO UNUSUAL OCCURRENCES DURING THE FLIGHT. POSTFLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED THAT PALLETS FROM THE 3L POSITION HAD SHIFTED AFT AND PUNCTURED THE AFT PRESSURE BULKHEAD IN TWO PLACES. A FLIGHT MECHANIC REPORTED THAT HE HAD SECURED THE PALLETS IN POSITION 3L AND 3R WHEN THEY WERE PLACED THERE TWO FLIGHTS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT. HE 'FLIPPED UP THREE ROWS OF LOCKS AFT OF EACH PALLET POSITION.' THE FLIGHT ENGINEER REPORTED THAT HE HAD INSPECTED THE PALLETS DURING THE PREFLIGHT AND 'THE LEFT SIDE HAD AN OVERHANG' AND HE COULD NOT SEE THE AFT LOCKS. HE SAID THE FRONT LOCKS WERE INSTALLED.
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: 19,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 10,000 as pilot in command; 3,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 785,000 lb
- Seats: 9
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-7J (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: DTW Detroit MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Temperature: 21°F (-6°C), dew point 14°F (-10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from YIP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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 N706CK 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.