Boeing 727-222 and Hughes 369D incident near Los Angeles, California, October 29, 1986
On October 29, 1986 at about 7:09 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Boeing 727-222 (N7255U) and Hughes 369D (N8620F), were involved in the same incident near Los Angeles, California. No one was hurt; 73 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
- October 29, 1986 · about 7:09 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 73 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Boeing 727-222 · all 727-222s on the register
- Registration
- N7255U · no longer on the register · serial 21402
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Hughes 369D · all 369Ds on the register
- Registration
- N8620F · no longer on the register · serial 70160D
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Public-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 727-222 final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARR, UNITED FLT 282 (BOEING 727, N7255U) WAS VECTORED BY LOS ANGELES (LAX) TRACON FOR AN ILS RWY 25L APCH. WHILE IN A DSCNDG TURN AT 2100' MSL TO INTERCEPT THE ILS LOC AT 2000', THE CAPT SAW A HELICOPTER (HEL) AHEAD & PULLED UP. HE ESTDHIS ACFT PASSED W/I 200' TO 300' OF THE HEL. THE HEL WAS A DEA ACFT (HUGHES 369D, N8620F) ON A SURVEILLANCE FLT. THE DEAPLT SAID HE WAS HOVERING BLO THE LAX TERMINAL CTL AREA (TCA) WHEN HE SAW THE BOEING MAKE A RGT TURN TWD THE LAX ARPT. HE SAID THE BOEING WAS IN HIS VIEW FOR THE ENTIRE TIME & IT WAS NOT A HAZARD TO HIM, BUT HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT ITS LOW ALT. LATER, HE ADZD LAX TWR. THE DEA PLT STATED HE WAS OPERG BTN 1400' & 1900' & THAT THE HEL WAS AT 1300' WHEN THE BOEING CONVERGED. HE ESTD THE BOEING CROSSED 300' TO 400' ABV THE HEL. RADAR DATA INDCD THE 2 ACFT CONVERGED TO A SLANT RANGE OF 1500'. MIN VERT SEPN WAS 200'. RADAR DATA ALSO INDCD THAT FLT 282 REMAINED ABV THE TCA FLOOR (2000') & THAT THE HEL WAS BLO THE TCA. A LEAK WAS FND IN THE HEL'S PITOT STATIC SYS, WHICH CAUSED AN UNDETERMINED ERROR.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Hughes 369D final · quoted from the NTSB record
DRG ARR, UNITED FLT 282 (BOEING 727, N7255U) WAS VECTORED BY LOS ANGELES (LAX) TRACON FOR AN ILS RWY 25L APCH. WHILE IN A DSCNDG TURN AT 2100' MSL TO INTERCEPT THE ILS LOC AT 2000', THE CAPT SAW A HELICOPTER (HEL) AHEAD & PULLED UP. HE ESTDHIS ACFT PASSED W/I 200' TO 300' OF THE HEL. THE HEL WAS A DEA ACFT (HUGHES 369D, N8620F) ON A SURVEILLANCE FLT. THE DEAPLT SAID HE WAS HOVERING BLO THE LAX TERMINAL CTL AREA (TCA) WHEN HE SAW THE BOEING MAKE A RGT TURN TWD THE LAX ARPT. HE SAID THE BOEING WAS IN HIS VIEW FOR THE ENTIRE TIME & IT WAS NOT A HAZARD TO HIM, BUT HE WAS CONCERNED ABOUT ITS LOW ALT. LATER, HE ADZD LAX TWR. THE DEA PLT STATED HE WAS OPERG BTN 1400' & 1900' & THAT THE HEL WAS AT 1300' WHEN THE BOEING CONVERGED. HE ESTD THE BOEING CROSSED 300' TO 400' ABV THE HEL. RADAR DATA INDCD THE 2 ACFT CONVERGED TO A SLANT RANGE OF 1500'. MIN VERT SEPN WAS 200'. RADAR DATA ALSO INDCD THAT FLT 282 REMAINED ABV THE TCA FLOOR (2000') & THAT THE HEL WAS BLO THE TCA. A LEAK WAS FND IN THE HEL'S PITOT STATIC SYS, WHICH CAUSED AN UNDETERMINED ERROR.
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 for the Boeing 727-222 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 191,500 lb
- Seats: 147
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MRV Monterey CA
- Destination: LAX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25L, 11,096 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:52 pm from LAX, 11 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 65 |
The factual record for the Hughes 369D from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,000 hours in all; 1,100 in this make and model; 119 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 100 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,000 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, May 30, 1986; 90 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Allison 250-C20B (turboshaft); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TOA Torrence CA at 6:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.