Boeing 727-223 incident near Tampa, Florida, January 6, 1987
On January 6, 1987 at about 2:32 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N6819, suffered minor damage in an incident near Tampa, Florida. 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
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
- January 6, 1987 · about 2:32 pm local time
- Place
- Tampa, Florida · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 148 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N6819 · no longer on the register · serial 19494
- 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 REGULARLY SCHEDULED AIR CARRIER FLIGHT WAS CLIMBING TO ALTITUDE WHEN THE ENGINE OIL PRESSURE AND QUANTITY DROPPED TO ZERO ON THE #3 ENGINE; IT WAS SHUT DOWN. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE #1 ENGINE OIL PRESSURE DROPPED TO ZERO. IT WAS REDUCED TO IDLE AND THE FLIGHT DIVERTED AND EXECUTED NORMAL LANDING. THE #3 ENGINE LOST OIL DUE TO A FAILED OIL PRESSURE TUBE TO THE # 6 BEARING. THE #1 ENGINE LOST OIL DUE TO OIL CONTAMINATION WITH HYDRAULIC FLUID. INTERVIEWS WITH AMERICAN AIRLINES AND CONTRACT MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL THAT HAD SERVICED THE ACFT WITHIN THE PREVIOUS 30 DAYS REVEALED NO DISCREPANCIES THAT WOULD HAVE ALLOWED HYDRAULIC FLUID TO ENTER THE OIL SYSTEM. THE #3 ENG OIL PRESSURE TUBE WAS LOST IN TRANSIT BY AAL FREIGHT PRESONNEL SO IT COULD NOT BE EXAMINED.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 4, 1986; 218 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 154
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Ft.Lauderdale FL at 1:50 pm
- Destination: DFW Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:51 pm from TPA
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.
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.