Boeing 727-224 incident near Corpus Christi, Texas, May 25, 1986
On May 25, 1986 at about 10:52 pm local time, a Boeing 727-224, registered N88711, suffered minor damage in an incident near Corpus Christi, Texas (Corpus Christi Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people had minor injuries; 83 others were unhurt. 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 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
- May 25, 1986 · about 10:52 pm local time
- Place
- Corpus Christi, Texas · Corpus Christi Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 83 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-224 · all 727-224s on the register
- Registration
- N88711 · no longer on the register · serial 19802
- 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 PILOT MADE AN INTENTIONAL GEAR-UP LANDING (LEFT MAIN ONLY) AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO LOWER IT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE SMALL STEEL NUT WHICH HAD JAMMED THE LEFT MAIN GEAR DOOR UNLATCHING MECHANISM FELL INTO THAT POSITION SOMETIME AFTER THE GEAR WAS RETRACTED ON THE INCIDENT FLIGHT. IT COULD HAVE BEEN THROWN INTO THE WHEEL WELL BY THE TIRE WHILE ON THE PARKING RAMP, TAXIWAY, OR THE RUNWAY OR INADVERTENTLY LEFT IN THE WHEEL WELL DURING SOME PREVIOUS MAINTENANCE. THE LANDING GEAR OR DOORS COULD NOT ACTUATE WITH THE STRAY NUT IN THE POSITION IN WHICH IT WAS FOUND. THIS OCCURRENCE IS CONSIDERED AS AN ISOLATED INCIDENT.
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: 6,256 hours in all; 3,726 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX at 8:04 pm
- Destination: MFE Mc Allen TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 13, 7,500 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from CRP
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 76 |
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.