Lockheed L-1011-385-1 incident near Denver, Colorado, August 22, 1986
On August 22, 1986 at about 3:24 am local time, a Lockheed L-1011-385-1, registered N31001, was involved in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Stapleton Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 6 people had minor injuries; 233 others were unhurt. 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
- August 22, 1986 · about 3:24 am local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapleton Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 6 people had minor injuries; 233 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011-385-1 L-1011-385
- Registration
- N31001 · no longer on the register · serial 1938-1013
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWA FLT 735 LANDED AT DENVER STAPLETON ARPT. DURING THE TAXI TO THE PASSENGER TERMINAL, A FIRE ERUPTED IN THE TAILPIPE OF THE LEFT ENGINE. THE FLT CREW EXECUTED THE EMERGENCY EVACUATION PROCEDURES. FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED. WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT OR ENGINE. POST INCIDENT EXAM REVEALED A MALFUNCTION FUEL FLOW REGULATOR.
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: 14,618 hours in all; 3,474 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,705 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 450,000 lb
- Seats: 395
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB-211-22B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: STL St. Louis MO at 11:40 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 230° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 11 | |||
| Passengers | 6 | 222 |
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.