Boeing 737-387 accident near Los Angeles, California, November 25, 1987
On November 25, 1987 at about 8:42 pm local time, a Boeing 737-387, registered N383AU, was involved in an accident near Los Angeles, California (Los Angeles airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 142 others were unhurt. 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
- November 25, 1987 · about 8:42 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California · Los Angeles · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 142 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-387 · all 737-387s on the register
- Registration
- N383AU · no longer on the register · serial 23700
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE BOEING 737-387, N383AU, OPERATING AS USAIR FLT 20, A REGULARLY SCHEDULED DOMESTIC FLIGHT, RETURNED TO LAX SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF, WHEN THE CAPT WAS ADVISED OF A BOMB THREAT. AFTER LANDING ON RWY 24L, THE CAPT PARKED THE AIRPLANE ON THE WEST END OF THE RWY. USAIR GND PSNL FAILED TO BRING THE STAIRS IN A TIMELY MANNER AND THE CAPT ORDERED AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION. ONE PAX SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES WHEN SHE EXITED AN OVERWING EMERGENCY EXIT AFTER AN UNIDENTIFIED PAX OPENED IT ON HIS OWN INITIATIVE. ANOTHER PAX, AN ELDERLY FEMALE, SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES WHEN SHE USED THE LEFT REAR SLIDE. 3 UNIDENTIFIED MALE PAX WERE ASKED TO ASSIST OTHER PAX, BUT AFTER THEY EXITED THEY RAN FM THE ACFT.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,700 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 201 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 24, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 110,000 lb
- Seats: 142
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM-56-3B2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: LAX at 8:29 pm
- Destination: IND Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 24, 10,285 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:00 pm from LAX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 136 |
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.