Boeing 727-247 incident near Denver, Colorado, May 24, 1989
On May 24, 1989 at about 2:05 pm local time, a Boeing 727-247, registered N296WA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Denver, Colorado (Stapelton Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 121 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR FORWARD TRUNNION BEARING SUPPORT FITTING DUE TO A CRACK INITIATING AT THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE BORE AND PROPAGATING BY INTERGRANULAR STRESS CORROSION INTO THE BORE SURFACE THAT RESULTED IN AN EVENTUAL DUCTILE FRACTURE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 24, 1989 · about 2:05 pm local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Stapelton Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 121 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-247 · all 727-247s on the register
- Registration
- N296WA · no longer on the register · serial 22533
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED AS THE AIRCRAFT WAS PULLED FORWARD SLIGHTLY TO BRING THE NOSEWHEEL OFF THE CHOCKS PRIOR TO PUSHBACK. INSPECTION DISCLOSED A FRACTURE OF THE FORWARD TRUNNION BEARING SUPPORT FITTING (P/N 65-16206-11) AND HEAVY SURFACE CORROSION. MICROSCOPIC EXAMINATION DISCLOSED EXTENSIVE INTERGRANULAR STRESS CORROSION, AND A CRACK THAT HAD DEVELOPED 0.1 INCHES INBOARD FROM THE FORWARD EDGE OF THE BORE, WHICH HAD PROPAGATED APPROXIMATELY 2.1 INCHES AFT INTO THE BORE SURFACE. THE FINAL FRACTURE RESULTED FROM DUCTILE SEPARATION.
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: 8,200 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 25,391 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 27, 1989; 217 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 190,500 lb
- Seats: 157
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines
The flight
- Departed from: DEN
- Destination: ATL Atlanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 60 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:24 pm from DEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 114 |
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.