Boeing 737-2A6 incident near Durango, Colorado, February 26, 1987
On February 26, 1987 at about 6:13 am local time, a Boeing 737-2A6, registered N145AW, was involved in an incident near Durango, Colorado (Durango-La Plata airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 48 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
- February 26, 1987 · about 6:13 am local time
- Place
- Durango, Colorado · Durango-La Plata · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 48 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-2A6 · all 737-2A6s on the register
- Registration
- N145AW · registry record · serial 20194
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AMERICA WEST AIRLINES FLT 166, A BOEING 737, DEPARTED PHOENIX, AZ, EN ROUTE TO DURANGO, CO. DURING THE ILS APCH TO DURANGO'S RWY 02 IN IMC, THE CAPTAIN USED A 10-15 DEGREE CRAB ANGLE TO MAINTAIN THE LOCALIZER COURSE. UPON TOUCHDOWN APRX 1000-1300 FT FROM RWY THRESHOLD, THE SPEEDBRAKES DEPLOYED AUTOMATICALLY. THE ACFT STARTED TO DRIFT TO THE LEFT OF RWY CENTERLINE. THE CAPTAIN APPLIED RIGHT RUDDER AND RIGHT NOSEWHEEL STEERING WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. REVERSE THRUST WAS NOT EMPLOYED. APRX 3000 FT FROM THE RWY THRESHOLD, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR SANK IN SOFT SNOW ALONG THE RWY EDGE AND AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE LEFT AND CAME TO A HALT.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,613 hours in all; 2,363 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,479 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 149 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 122
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ at 5:25 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 2, 9,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:15 am from DRO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 43 |
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.