Boeing 767-201 accident near Los Angeles, California, October 5, 1987
On October 5, 1987 at about 4:27 am local time, a Boeing 767-201, registered N604P, was substantially damaged in an accident near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 148 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 accident. 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 5, 1987 · about 4:27 am local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles Int'L · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 148 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-201 · all 767-201s on the register
- Registration
- N604P · registry record · serial 23898
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CAPTAIN SENSED THE AIRCRAFT BALLOONING DURING THE FLARE. HE INCREASED THE PITCH ANGLE TO 11.8 DEGREES TO ARREST THE DESCENT DURING TOUCHDOWN. FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SITTING IN THE AFT CABIN CREW SEATS HEARD A SCRAPING SOUND JUST PRIOR TO MAIN LANDING GEAR TOUCHDOWN. THE TAIL STRUCK THE RUNWAY SURFACE DURING THE FLARE. THE AFT PRESSURE DOME WAS SCRAPED, BENT, AND BUCKLED. THE CAPTAIN ATTRIBUTED THE BALLOONING TO WAKE TURBULENCE OF A PRECEEDING DC-8 ARRIVAL. ACCORDING TO THE MANUFACTURER 11.0 DEGREES IS THE MAXIMUM PITCH ANGLE WITH THE OLEOS COMPRESSED. THE FDR READOUT DID NOT INDICATE THE PRESENCE OF WAKE TURBULENCE. THE CAPTAIN HAD RECENTLY BEEN TYPE-RATED IN THE BOEING 767 AND HAD ACCRUED A TOTAL OF 46 HOURS IN THE AIRCRAFT, 4.5 HOURS OF WHICH WAS ON THE ACCIDENT FLIGHT.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,582 hours in all; 46 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,233 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 12 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 270,000 lb
- Seats: 210
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2-B2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Piedmont Aviation, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 9:40 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25L, 11,096 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 am from LAX, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| Passengers | 139 |
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.