Boeing 727-224 incident near Denver, Colorado, March 22, 1984
On March 22, 1984 at about 4:43 pm local time, a Boeing 727-224, registered N88709, was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 133 people were on board or involved. 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 22, 1984 · about 4:43 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 133 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-224 · all 727-224s on the register
- Registration
- N88709 · no longer on the register · serial 19800
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO TAXIING AT CHICAGO, THE PLT HAD THE RAMP AGENT(R/A) CHECK THE REAR AIRSTAIR AS THE AFT AIRSTAIR LIGHT ON THE SECOND OFFICER'S PANEL WAS 'ON'. THE R/A RECYCLED THE AIRSTAIR & REPORTED THAT IT APPEARED CLOSED. THE LIGHT REMAINED ONSO THE PLT REFERRED TO THE MINIMUM EQUIP'T LIST WHICH REQUIRED THAT THE AIRSTAIR BE VISUALLY CHECKED CLOSED PRIOR TO FLTIF THE WARNING SYSTEM WAS INOP. DURING TAXI/TAKEOFF THE AIRSTAIR HANDLE MOVED LEADING TO AIRSTAIR OPENING ABOUT 1 FT INFLIGHT. ALL WATER WAS SHUT OFF IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT TO AVOID POSSIBLE ICE BUILD-UP & THE FLT CONTINUED TO DENVER. UPON LANDING AS THE ACFT SLOWED ON THE RWY, THE AIRSTAIR OPENED TO THE FULL DOWN POSITION. THE EXTERNAL AIRSTAIR HANDLE WAS FOUND IN THE FULL UP POSITION (AIRSTAIR OPEN) AFTER LANDING. THE HANDLE CAN BE PULLED DOWN PARTIALLY (NOT LOCKED) & THE AIRSTAIR WILL HAVE THE APPEARANCE OF BEING UP & LOCKED ALTHOUGH THE UPLOCKS ARE NOT ENGAGED. RESIDUAL HYDRAULIC PRESSURE COULD KEEP THE AIRSTAIR IN THE CLOSED POSITION LONG ENOUGH TO GIVE A FALSE LOCKED INDICATION.
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 sea; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 2
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 35R, 12,000 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 126 |
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 N88709 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.