Boeing 727-224 accident near Gulf Of Mexico, August 5, 1986
On August 5, 1986 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Boeing 727-224, registered N32724, was involved in an accident near Gulf Of Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 102 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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
- August 5, 1986 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Gulf Of Mexico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 102 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-224 · all 727-224s on the register
- Registration
- N32724 · no longer on the register · serial 20654
- 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 COMMERCIAL AIR CARRIER DOMESTIC FLIGHT WAS OPERATING IN AN AERA OF KNOWN THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND ENCOUNTERED A JOLT OF TURBULENCE. THE PASSENGER WHO WAS INJURED DISREGARDED THE ILLUMINATED SEAT BELT SIGN AND TWO ANNOUNCEMENTS TO REMAIN SEATED BY THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS.
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: 16,000 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 41,564 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8-15 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HOU Houston TX at 6:30 pm
- Destination: FLL Ft.Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:49 pm from LCH, 79 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 95 |
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.