Boeing 727-223 incident near Little Rock, Arkansas, November 23, 1982
On November 23, 1982 at about 3:31 am local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N846AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Little Rock, Arkansas (Adams airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 23 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
- November 23, 1982 · about 3:31 am local time
- Place
- Little Rock, Arkansas · Adams
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 23 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N846AA · registry record · serial 20987
- 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 AIRCREW REPORTED THAT THEY BROKE OUT OF THE CLOUDS AT ABOUT 744 FT AGL WHILE ON AN ILS APPROACH AND THAT THE CEILING WAS RAGGED. AT ABOUT 500 FT AGL, THE CAPTAIN TURNED ON THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS. THE FIRST OFFICER WAS FLYING THE AIRCRAFT FROM THR RIGHT SEAT AND MADE A SMOOTH TOUCHDOWN. AT ABOUT THAT TIME, THE RAIN BECAME EXTREMELY HEAVY TO THE POINT THAT THE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE DIFFUSED, BUT STILL SOMEWHAT VISIBLE. THE CAPTAIN TOLD THE FIRST OFFICER THAT THE PLANE WAS DRIFTING LEFT, BUT THE FIRST OFFICER DID NOT DETECT THE DRIFT. THE CAPTAIN TOOK CONTROL, BUT NOT IN TIME TO PREVENT THE AIRCRAFT FROM DRIFTING OFF THE RUNWAY. THREE RUNWAY LIGHTS WERE KNOCKED OUT AND THE PLANE RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE BEFORE IT WAS STEERED BACK ONTO THE RUNWAY. MARKS ON THE RUNWAY INDICATED THAT THE TIRES HAD HYDROPLANNED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P & W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: Memphis TN at 8:51 pm
- Destination: Little Rock AR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22, 7,012 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 220° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 700 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 147°F (64°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:30 pm from LIT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 16 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number FTW83IA044.