Boeing 737-322 incident near Rapid City, South Dakota, October 27, 1989
On October 27, 1989 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Boeing 737-322, registered N344UA, was involved in an incident near Rapid City, South Dakota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 40 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INFLIGHT FAILURE OF THE RECIRCULATING FAN UNIT AND SEVERAL AIR DUCT TEMPERATURE LIMITING SENSORS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 1989 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Rapid City, South Dakota · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 40 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-322 · all 737-322s on the register
- Registration
- N344UA · no longer on the register · serial 24248
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH FLT LEVEL 280, THE FLT CREW DETECTED AN ODOR AND SOME SMOKE IN THE COCKPIT AND CABIN. THE CAPTAIN ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT & HE LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL INSPECTED THE ACFT AND REPLACED SEVERAL AIR CONDITIONING SYSTEM TEMPERATURE SENSORS AND THE RECIRCULATING FAN ASSEMBLY. THESE ACTIONS CORRECTED THE PROBLEM AND THE ACFT WAS RETURNED TO SERVICE.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 324 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 324 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 135,000 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Destination: FSD Sioux Falls SD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 28°F (-2°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:50 pm from RAP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 35 |
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 N344UA 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.