Boeing 727-224 accident near Sarasota, Florida, April 3, 1988
On April 3, 1988 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Boeing 727-224, registered N88703, was involved in an accident near Sarasota, Florida (Sarasota-Bradenton airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 144 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 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
- April 3, 1988 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Sarasota, Florida · Sarasota-Bradenton
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 144 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-224 · all 727-224s on the register
- Registration
- N88703 · no longer on the register · serial 19512
- 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 CAPTAIN OF THE BOEING 727 AIRCRAFT WAS AWARE THAT A REFUELER WAS UTILIZING KNOWN QUANTITY REFUELING PROCEDURES DUE TO AN INOPERATIVE FUEL GUAGE. HE ALLOWED THE FLIGHT ENGINEER TO ACTIVATE THE B HYDRAULIC SYSTEM AND THE GROUND INTERCONNECT SWITCH, WITHOUT POSITIVELY ASSURING THAT GND PERSONNEL WERE CLEAR OF THE LEADING EDGE SLATS.AT THE SAME TIME THE REFUELER WAS HAVING DIFFICULTY WITH THE FUELING SYSTEM. THE REFUELER CLIMBED ON A LADDER TO OPEN A FUEL PANEL WITHOUT TELLING ANYBODY. WHEN THE B HYDRAULIC SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED, THE SLATS RETRACTED CRUSHING THE NECK OF THE REFUELER BETWEEN THE WING AND THE TRAILING EDGE OF A SLAT.
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: 8,077 hours in all; 2,448 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 62,206 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Destination: EWR Newark NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:48 pm from SRQ
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | |||
| Passengers | 136 |
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.