Boeing 727-225 incident near New York, New York, February 5, 1986
On February 5, 1986 at about 9:12 pm local time, a Boeing 727-225, registered N812EA, suffered minor damage in an incident near New York, New York (La-Guardia airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 8 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
- February 5, 1986 · about 9:12 pm local time
- Place
- New York, New York · La-Guardia · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 8 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-225 · all 727-225s on the register
- Registration
- N812EA · registry record · serial 22549
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE ON WALK AROUND INSPECTION THE FLIGHT CREW NOTICED A BURNED THROUGH AREA ON THE NUMBER ONE ENGINE OUTBOARD COWLING. THE ENGINE WAS REMOVED FROM SERVICE AND DISASSEMBLED AND EXAMINED. THE FAN DUCT AND THE ENGINE COMBUSTION OUTER LINER WERE ALSO BURNED THROUGH. THE NUMBER 7,8,9, COMBUSTION CHAMBERS WERE FOUND TO BE PARTIALLY BURNED AWAY AND DISTORTED. THE COMBUSTION CHAMBERS HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY REMOVED AND WELD REPAIRED ABOUT 16000 HOURS PRIOR TO THIS FAILURE. THE CHAMBERS EXHIBITED THERMAL FATIGUE FAILURES.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,043 hours in all; 1,101 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,499 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 8, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 174,000 lb
- Seats: 195
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8-D15 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from LGA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
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 N812EA 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.