Boeing 727-100 incident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, January 22, 1997
On January 22, 1997 at about 4:45 am local time, a Boeing 727-100, registered N198FE, was involved in an incident near Oklahoma City, Oklahoma (Will Rogers World airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
existence of fumes from the cargo compartment and activation of the cargo smoke detector for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 22, 1997 · about 4:45 am local time
- Place
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma · Will Rogers World · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-100 · all 727-100s on the register
- Registration
- N198FE · registry record · serial 19154
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the takeoff initial climb, the crew received an aural warning and the number 2 smoke detector sensor light illuminated in the cockpit. Crew members noted a strong smell, like lacquer and varnish, coming from the cargo area. No evidence of an in flight fire or hazardous cargo spill was found in any cargo container. Wood panels, painted earlier that day with a base coat (Kem-Flash E61A45) and a topcoat (Production Lacquer L61XX Laed-Free Custom), were found in cargo bin 5. The ramp agent, who loaded the boxes into the cargo container, did not notice any smell or fumes when the container was loaded into the cargo bin. Painted panels may emit a paint like odor during the curing process; however, once the paint has been used on the panels it is not considered a hazardous material and is considered nonflammable when it is still in a curing stage. The smoke detector operates based on the percentage of light transmitted. The smoke detector, Part No. 7740-01, Serial No. 2024, tested within the manufacturer's operation specifications.
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: 2,749 hours in all; 505 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 58,469 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 12, 1997; 18 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 160,500 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OKC at 4:35 am
- Destination: MEM Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17, 9,802 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 190° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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.