Boeing 727-232 incident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, December 28, 1985
On December 28, 1985 at about 6:33 pm local time, a Boeing 727-232, registered N519DA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida (Ft Lauderdale Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 131 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
- December 28, 1985 · about 6:33 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida · Ft Lauderdale Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 131 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-232 · all 727-232s on the register
- Registration
- N519DA · registry record · serial 21470
- 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 GEAR RETRACTION DRG TAKEOFF, AT APRX 150' AGL, THE AIRCREW HEARD A LOUD NOISE & NOTED THE #2 ENG HAD FAILED. THEY SECURED THE ENG, DUMPED FUEL & LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. AN EXAM OF THE #2 ENG REVEALED THE COMBUSTION CHAMBER OUTER CASE, PN 616315, HAD FAILED FROM HI STRESS, LOW-CYCLE FATIGUE. THE FAILURE ORIGINATED AT A 4.6 INCH CRACK AT THE REAR DRAIN BOSS TO CASE WELD. AT THE LAST SHOP INSPN, A SUSPECTED CRACK WAS VISUALLY OBSVD IN THIS AREA. THE CASE WAS PREPARED FOR NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING BY GRIT BLASTING IT WITH ALUMINUM OXIDE BEADS TO STRIP OFF NICKEL-CADMIUM PLATING. HOWEVER, THE TESTING DID NOT REVEAL A CRACK. THEREFORE, THE CASE WAS RECOATED WITH NICKEL-CADMIUM & RETURNED TO SVC. AFTER THE FAILURE, AN EXAM OF THE FRACTURE AREA REVEALED THE PRESENCE OF NICKEL & CADMIUM (0.5 TO 0.75 INCH, CENTERED ON THE FRACTURE ORIGIN AREA). THERE WAS EVIDENCE THAT GRIT BLASTING (PRIOR TO NON-DESTRUCTIVE TESTING) HAD MECHANICALLY CLOSED THE PREV CRACK, THUS PREVENTING DETECTION. THE OPERATOR REVISED THE SHOP PROCEDURE TO A SHELL BLASTING METHOD.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,002 hours in all; 12,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,083 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 18, 1985; 80 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 184,200 lb
- Seats: 157
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: DTW Detroit MI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9L, 8,018 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,000 ft; scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:49 pm from FLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 124 |
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.