Boeing 727-200 incident near Dfw Airport, Texas, September 22, 1988
On September 22, 1988 at about 2:42 am local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered N710AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Dfw Airport, Texas (Dfw Reg. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 4 people had minor injuries; 84 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATIGUE FAILURE OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR DOOR ACTUATOR PIVOT TRUNNION SHAFT WHICH SUBSEQUENTLY BECAME LODGED IN THE ACTUATOR CLEVIS PREVENTING THE DOOR UNLOCK MECHANISM FROM ACTUATING DURING GEAR EXTENSION.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 22, 1988 · about 2:42 am local time
- Place
- Dfw Airport, Texas · Dfw Reg.
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 4 people had minor injuries; 84 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N710AA · no longer on the register · serial 22467
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT RECEIVED MINOR DAMAGE WHEN THE PLT EXECUTED AN EMERGENCY GEAR UP LANDING FOLLOWING THE FAILURE OF THE MLG TO EXTEND USING NORMAL, ABNORMAL, AND MANUAL PROCEDURES. ACFT WAS LANDED WITH THE NLG EXTENDED AND THE MAINS RETRACTED. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE LEFT MLG DOOR ACTUATOR PIVOT TRUNNION UPPER SHAFT HAD FAILED AS A RESULT OF A FATIGUE FRACTURE. FOLLOWING THE FRACTURE, THE SEPARATED SHAFT HAD BECOME JAMMED BETWEEN THE TRUNNION AND THE ACTUATOR CLEVIS WHICH PREVENTED THE MANUAL DOOR UNLOCK MECHANISM FROM RELEASING. A REVIEW OF THE SERVICE DIFFICULTY HISTORY OF THE FAILED PART INDICATED THAT SEVERAL SIMILAR FAILURES HAD OCCURRED ON MANUFACTURED PARTS AND THAT A REDESIGNED PART WAS AVAILABLE FOR REPLACEMENT. THE OPERATOR HAD COMPLIED WITH ALL OF THE REQUIRED INSP'S.
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: 6,000 hours in all; 4,000 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: 20,873 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 17, 1988; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 191,000 lb
- Seats: 157
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: OKC Oklahoma City OK at 1:12 am
- Destination: DFW
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18L, 11,388 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 am from DFW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 6 | ||
| Passengers | 3 | 78 |
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.