Boeing 727-243 incident near Houston, Texas, December 3, 1987
On December 3, 1987 at about 6:34 pm local time, a Boeing 727-243, registered N571PE, suffered minor damage in an incident near Houston, Texas (Houston Intercontinental airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 87 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER DRILLING OF THE CROSS HOLE IN THE SLAT TRACK BEARING BOLT, WHICH LED TO ITS FAILURE FROM FATIGUE CRACKING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 3, 1987 · about 6:34 pm local time
- Place
- Houston, Texas · Houston Intercontinental
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 87 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-243 · all 727-243s on the register
- Registration
- N571PE · no longer on the register · serial 21264
- 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 THE APPROACH TO LANDING THE NUMBER SIX LEADING EDGE SLAT ASSEMBLY FAILED. THE INBOARD SECTION OF THE SLAT HUNG DOWN AND BENT AFT. THE PILOT LANDED THE ACFT WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS OF COMPONENTS REVEALED THAT A SLAT TRACK ROLLER BEARING CONTAINED EVIDENCE OF CORROSION AND SPALLING. ADDITIONALLY, THE SLAT TRACK BEARING BOLT THAT HAD BEEN INSTALLED THROUGH THE ABOVE MENTIONED BEARING HAD HEAVY CIRCUMFERENTIAL GOUGES CONTAINED IN THE SURFACE OF A CROSS-DRILLED HOLE AT THE AREAS OF FATIGUE INITIATION. THERE WAS ALSO EVIDENCE OF TEARING, TYPICAL OF DAMAGE PRODUCED DURING DRILLING WITH A DULL DRILL BIT. THE AIRPLANE HAD COMPLETED A MAJOR STRUCTURAL MAINTENANCE CHECK 48 FLIGHT HOURS AND 28 CYCLES PRIOR TO THE 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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,500 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 24,892 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, November 27, 1987; 48 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 170,000 lb
- Seats: 143
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ELP El Paso TX at 5:00 pm
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 14, 12,001 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:48 pm from IAH
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 80 |
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.