Boeing 727-232 incident near Greenville, Texas, March 14, 1989
On March 14, 1989 at about 3:12 pm local time, a Boeing 727-232, registered N511DA, was involved in an incident near Greenville, Texas (Majors Fld airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 7 people had minor injuries; 91 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FALSE FIRE WARNING, WHICH RESULTED FROM (1) CONTAMINANTS ON HARDWARE AT ONE END OF THE FIRE DETECTION LOOP; AND (2) AN ELECTRICAL SHORT ON BOTH ELEMENTS OF THE LOOP.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 14, 1989 · about 3:12 pm local time
- Place
- Greenville, Texas · Majors Fld · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 7 people had minor injuries; 91 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-232 · all 727-232s on the register
- Registration
- N511DA · no longer on the register · serial 21313
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACFT MADE A PRECAUTIONARY LANDING AFTER GETTING A FIRE WARNING INDICATION IN THE #2 ENG. INITIALLY THE INDICATIONS, BOTH THE FIRE WARNING LIGHT AND BELL, WERE INTERMITTENT; HOWEVER, THEY THEN WENT TO STEADY AND THE CREW SECURED THE ENG AND DISCHARGED BOTH FIRE BOTTLES WITH NO EFFECT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THERE HAD NOT BEEN A FIRE OR OVER TEMP CONDITION AND THAT THE ENGINE FIRE DETECTION LOOP WAS SHORTED OUT ON BOTH ELEMENTS. CONTAMINANTS WERE FOUND ON THE CONNECTORS AND PINS OF ONE END OF THE LOOP DURING INITIAL INSP. AFTER HANDLING AND SHIPMENT TO THE OPERATOR'S MAINTENANCE FACILITY, THE SHORT DISAPPEARED AND COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. LOOP MET ALL MANUFACTURERING SPECIFICATIONS AND FUNCTIONED NORMALLY DURING ALL TESTING. CONTAMINANTS APPEARED TO BE ENGINE OIL AND HYDRAULIC FLUID. NO DETERMINATION WAS MADE ABOUT HOW OR WHEN THE CONTAMINANTS WERE INTRODUCED TO THE HERMETICALLY SEALED CONNECTORS.
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: 13,361 hours in all; 7,980 in this make and model; 125 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,431 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 12, 1989; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 179,500 lb
- Seats: 156
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 1:24 pm
- Destination: SAN San Diego CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 8,029 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 190° at 14 knots, gusting 24
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; scat at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:47 pm from GVT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 7 | 84 |
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.