Boeing 747-123 incident near Detroit, Michigan, April 25, 1985
On April 25, 1985 at about 3:45 pm local time, a Boeing 747-123, registered N9663, was involved in an incident near Detroit, Michigan. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 42 people had minor injuries; 439 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 1985 · about 3:45 pm local time
- Place
- Detroit, Michigan · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 42 people had minor injuries; 439 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-123 · all 747-123s on the register
- Registration
- N9663 · registry record · serial SN20102
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT CREWMEMBERS OF THE JUMBO JET WERE PREPARING TO START THE ENGS WHEN FLT ATTENDANTS (F/A'S) IN THE FORWARD CABIN DETECTED A FAINT ODOR PRIOR TO CLOSING DOOR 1L. THE SOURCE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED, SO THE DOOR WAS CLOSED IN PREPARATION FOR A PUSHBACK. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, SMOKE WAS DISCOVERED IN THE VICINITY OF THE OVERHEAD BIN AT ROW 16. THE CAPTAIN WAS NOTIFIED & HE ORDERED THAT 'OCCUPANTS EVACUATE, IF THERE IS A FIRE ONBOARD.' THE JETWAY WAS BROUGHT BACK TO DOOR 1L. THE SMOKE DISSIPATED; THUS, THE F/A'S AT DOORS 1R, 2L & 2R DID NOT OPEN THEIR DOORS. HOWEVER, THE F/A'S AT THE OTHER 6 DOORS WERE UNAWARE OF THE SITUATION & CONTINUED THE EVACUATION. THE RAMPS AT DOORS 3L & 3R DID NOT INFLATE & DOOR 5R JAMMED HALFWAY OPEN. THE RAMP PACKS FOR 3R & 3L WERE IMPROPERLY MOUNTED. THE 5R PACK BOARD WAS MADE FOR A LEFT HAND DOOR & THE LANYARD WAS NOT CONNECTED TO THE BOTTOM PANEL PULLEY. AN EXAM REVEALED A BALLAST FOR AN OVERHEAD FLOURESCENT LIGHT, PN 69-33C, HAD OVERHEATED & MELTED THE PLASTIC CASE.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 38,827 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 271 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 710,000 lb
- Seats: 495
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: United Air Carriers
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI at 2:30 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,300 ft; not recorded at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from DTW, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 20 | |||
| Passengers | 42 | 419 |
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.
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DCA85IA019.