Boeing 727-224 incident near Los Angeles, California, August 10, 1989
On August 10, 1989 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Boeing 727-224, registered N88709, suffered minor damage in an incident near Los Angeles, California. 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
A FATIGUE CRACK IN THE RIGHT GEAR WHEEL WELL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 10, 1989 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Los Angeles, California
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 148 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-224 · all 727-224s on the register
- Registration
- N88709 · no longer on the register · serial 19800
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CREW OF CONTINENTAL FLIGHT 1223, A BOEING 727, NOTED A SEVERE FLOOR VIBRATION BETWEEN PASSENGER ROWS 21 AND 26 WHILE AT FL310 AT A CRUISE SPEED OF 0.8 MACH. THE CREW SLOWED THE AIRCRAFT TO 280 KTS IAS, DESCENDED TO FL240 AND PROCEEDED TO LOS ANGELES WITHOUT FURTHER DIFFICULTY. A 15 1/2 INCH CONTINUOUS CRACK WAS FOUND ALONG A ROW OF RIVETS AT THE FLOOR LINE IN THE RIGHT WHEEL WELL. THE CRACK WAS IN CLOSE PROXIMITY TO TWO PREVIOUS REPAIRS. THE CRACKS APPREARED TO BE FROM FATIGUE. THE REPAIR OF THE PANEL INVOLOVED INSTALLATION OF A DOUBLE PLATE OVER THE REGION.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,000 hours in all; 9,600 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 64,986 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 3, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SAT San Antonio TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 141 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N88709 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.