Boeing B-727-200 incident near Indianapolis, Indiana, July 9, 1997
On July 9, 1997 at about 1:40 pm local time, a Boeing B-727-200, registered N770AT, suffered minor damage in an incident near Indianapolis, Indiana (Indianapolis Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the improper installation of the incorrect spherical bearing by the company's maintenance personnel. A factor was the improper plating of the trunnion with chromium by the landing gear overhaul facility.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 9, 1997 · about 1:40 pm local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · Indianapolis Intl · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 11 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-727-200
- Registration
- N770AT · no longer on the register · serial 21953
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While the aircraft was being loaded with passengers, the flight engineer found that the right main landing gear had partially collapsed. The fractured right main landing gear had recently been overhauled and had accumulated 51 cycles and 126 hours since installation 21 days prior to the fracture. An examination was made of the aft portion of the upper and lower lugs of the trunnion. Chromium plating was apparent on sections of the trunnion where the overhaul manual stated that 'No Chrome' was to be applied. The spherical bearing assembly, locking bolt and anti-rotation washer were also examined. For normal assembly, the aft trunnion of the gear is inserted into the inner diameter of the wing mounted spherical bearing. The spherical bearing that contacted the trunnion journal had an inner diameter which measured approximately 3.50 inches. The aft trunnion journal of the failed landing gear had an outer diameter that measured approximately 3.25 inches. During landing gear replacement, the maintenance procedures require that the proper sized spherical bearings, either 3.50 inch or the 3.25 inch inner diameter, be matched with the appropriate outer cylinder aft trunnion outside diameter.
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: 6,500 hours in all; 160 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 52,509 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 20, 1997; 162 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 197,700 lb
- Seats: 176
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IND at 10:25 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.