Boeing 727-200 accident near Austin, Texas, April 19, 1982
On April 19, 1982 at about 3:24 am local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered N32717, was substantially damaged in an accident near Austin, Texas (Austin Muni airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 68 people were on board or involved. 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 accident. 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
- April 19, 1982 · about 3:24 am local time
- Place
- Austin, Texas · Austin Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 68 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N32717 · no longer on the register · serial 20386
- Damage
- Substantial 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 GEAR COLLAPSED & PARTIALLY SEPARATED FROM THE ACFT STRUCTURE. EXAMINATION OF THE GEAR ASSEMBLY REVEALED A FAILED DRAG STRUT ASSEMBLY #65-57903-11. THERE WAS EVIDENCE OF A PRE-EXISTING CRACK PRIOR TO THE STRUT SEPARATION. THE STRESS CORROSION CRACKING PROBABLY INITIATED FROM PREVIOUS DAMAGE TO THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE STRUT CYLINDER RESULTING FROM A TIRE BLOWOUT INCIDENT WHICH OCCURRED ON 3/10/82. EITHER A SMALL CRACK OR GROUP OF CRACKS INITIATED IN THE STRUT AT THE TIME OF THE PRIOR DAMAGE, OR THE DAMAGE WAS SEVERE ENOUGH TO DISRUPT THE INTEGRITY OF THE SURFACE FINISH & PRODUCE A NOTCH AND/OR UNFAVORABLE RESIDUAL STRESS WHICH MADE THE STRUT SUSCEPTABLE TO STRESS CORROSION CRACKING IN THIS AREA.
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: 11,165 hours in all; 2,461 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,609 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 1,416 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 171,000 lb
- Seats: 98
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: HOU Houston TX
- Destination: Bennettsville NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31, 7,269 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 61 |
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.