Boeing 727-200 incident near Washington, District of Columbia, August 23, 1999
On August 23, 1999 at about 11:10 pm local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered N926TS, suffered minor damage in an incident near Washington, District of Columbia (Ron Reagan National Arpt airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 171 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadequate lubrication of the landing gear side strut assembly by company maintenance personnel. A factor in the accident was the inadequate design of the assembly that trapped water and prevented adequate lubrication.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 23, 1999 · about 11:10 pm local time
- Place
- Washington, District of Columbia · Ron Reagan National Arpt · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 171 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N926TS · no longer on the register · serial 20774
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A Boeing 727-200 received minor damage when the left main landing gear side strut separated during taxi. Examination of the right main landing gear revealed that the side strut assembly was separated from the main shock strut and that the gear door was open. The threaded portion of the main strut attachment clevis was separated from the side strut assembly. The clevis remained attached to the main shock strut. The clevis bolt was dry, corroded, and the threads were broken and stripped. There was no evidence of lubrication on the clevis bolt. The retaining nut and the lock nut inside the lower end of the side strut were also dry, corroded, and displayed corresponding damaged and stripped threads inside the lock nut. Metallurgical examination revealed the threads suffered severe corrosion damage prior to being stripped. The aircraft manufacturer stated that a re-design for the side strut assembly was in development to block moisture, prevent corrosion, and improve lubrication for the assembly.
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: 16,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 114 in the last 90 days; 62 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 46,587 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 22, 1999; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 175,500 lb
- Seats: 171
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LGA New York NY at 10:00 pm
- Destination: DCA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 140° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 20,000 ft; scat at 5,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:51 pm from DCA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | |||
| Passengers | 163 |
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.