Boeing 727-257 incident near Las Vegas, Nevada, July 4, 1995
On July 4, 1995 at about 6:03 pm local time, a Boeing 727-257, registered N712RC, suffered minor damage in an incident near Las Vegas, Nevada (Mccarran International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 53 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A shear failure of the right main landing gear outer cylinder trunnion due to fatigue and stress corrosion, and the operator's inadequate and improper overhaul procedures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 4, 1995 · about 6:03 pm local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · Mccarran International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 53 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-257 · all 727-257s on the register
- Registration
- N712RC · no longer on the register · serial 22020
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER TOUCHDOWN THE CREW FELT THE AIRCRAFT LURCH TO THE RIGHT. AN INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE RIGHT MAIN LANDING GEAR OUTER CYLINDER TRUNNION HAD SHEARED AT THE MAIN LANDING GEAR BEAM TRUNNION SUPPORT. THE OPERATOR REPORTED TWO SIMILAR PRIOR INCIDENTS. THE FAILED TRUNNION AND THE TWO FROM THE PRIOR OCCURRENCES WERE SENT TO BOEING FOR DETAILED METALLURGICAL ANALYSIS. ACCORDING TO THE LAB REPORT, ALL THREE TRUNNIONS FAILED AS A RESULT OF A FATIGUE FRACTURE AND STRESS CORROSION WHICH INITIATED IN THE BLENDOUT TRANSITION RADIUS BETWEEN THE MACHINED DOWN TRUNNION JOURNAL AND THE CYLINDER. THE RADIUS WAS FOUND TO BE BELOW THE SPECIFIED MINIMUM AND NICKEL PLATING EXTENDED INTO THE AREA IN EXCESS OF THE LENGTH PERMITTED BY THE OVERHAUL MANUAL. SEVERE THROUGH-THICKNESS CRACKING IN THE CHROME PLATING WAS ALSO FOUND IN ALL THREE TRUNNIONS. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, BOEING 727 LANDING GEAR OVERHAUL REWORK IS PERFORMED IN-HOUSE.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,856 hours in all; 2,626 in this make and model; 234 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 197,000 lb
- Seats: 155
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8-17R (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DTW Detroit MI at 2:30 pm
- Destination: LAS NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 25L, 8,900 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 95°F (35°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:50 pm from LAS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 46 |
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.