Boeing 727-223 incident near Memphis, Tennessee, December 26, 1982
On December 26, 1982 at about 2:10 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N6810, suffered minor damage in an incident near Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 58 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
- December 26, 1982 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · Memphis Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 58 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
- N6810 · registry record · serial 19485
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING A GO-AROUND FROM AN ILS APPROACH, THE LEFT WING TIP WAS DRAGGED. THIS RESULTED IN MINOR DAMAGE TO THE LEADING EDGE SLATS, TRAILING EDGE FLAPS AND OUTBOARD FLAP TRACK HOUSING ON THE LEFT WING. AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING WAS MADE AFTER THE GO-AROUND. THE AIRCRAFT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY FERRIED TO THE COMPANY'S MAINTENANCE FACILITY WHERE THE FLIGHT DIRECTOR WAS REMOVED.
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: instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,400 hours in all; 4,100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,999 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 178,500 lb
- Seats: 154
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas/Ft Worth TX at 7:02 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36R, 8,400 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 400 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 124°F (51°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:52 am from MEM
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 51 |
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.