Boeing 727-224 incident near Flushing, New York, January 17, 1985
On January 17, 1985 at about 4:01 pm local time, a Boeing 727-224, registered N79748, suffered minor damage in an incident near Flushing, New York (Laguardia airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 86 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 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
- January 17, 1985 · about 4:01 pm local time
- Place
- Flushing, New York · Laguardia
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 86 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-224 · all 727-224s on the register
- Registration
- N79748 · no longer on the register · serial 22450
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT STRUCK A SEAWALL DIKE IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 13 AT LA GUADIA AIRPORT, FLUSHING, NY. ACFT CONTINUED ON TO DENVER, CO WHERE UNEVENTFUL LANDING WAS MADE. POST-FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED MINOR DAMAGE TO TAILSKID AND NUMBER 2 ENGINE THRUST REVERSER. INVESTIGATION DISCLOSED IMCOMPLETE AND INADEQUATE SNOW REMOVAL FROM RUNWAY AND LACK OF VISUAL CUES AVAILABLE DUE TO POOR WEATHER.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 109,922 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 5, 1985; 1,053 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 190,500 lb
- Seats: 159
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 7,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:52 pm from LGA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 79 |
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.