Boeing 747-123 incident near Los Angeles, California, January 16, 1983
On January 16, 1983 at about 4:50 pm local time, a Boeing 747-123, registered N9664, suffered minor damage in an incident near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 412 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 16, 1983 · about 4:50 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 412 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-123 · all 747-123s on the register
- Registration
- N9664 · no longer on the register · serial 20103
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED WHILE THE ACFT WAS TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF. DISSAMBLY REVEALED THAT THE OUTER CYLINDER WAS SHATTERED & METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED ABRASIVE GRINDING & ENVIRONMETALLY ACCELERATED FATIGUE PRIOR TO RAPIDFRACTURE.
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: 16,800 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,806 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 710,000 lb
- Seats: 495
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: JFK New York NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 17 | |||
| Passengers | 395 |
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.