Boeing 727-251 incident near Madison, Florida, January 4, 1990
On January 4, 1990 at about 2:10 pm local time, a Boeing 727-251, registered N2280, suffered minor damage in an incident near Madison, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF COMPANY SERVICE PERSONNEL TO PROPERLY SERVICE THE AIRPLANE FORWARD LAVATORY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 4, 1990 · about 2:10 pm local time
- Place
- Madison, Florida · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-251 · all 727-251s on the register
- Registration
- N2280 · registry record · serial 21159
- 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 CREW OF THE AIRLINE FLIGHT HEARD A BANG AND NOTED THE LOSS OF NO 3 ENGINE POWER, IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT FL350, DECLARED AN EMERGENCY, DIVERTED AND LANDED. AFTER LANDING THE NO 3 ENGINE WAS FOUND TO BE MISSING FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE ENGINE WAS FOUND. EXAMINED AND EXHIBITED SOFT BODY FOD DAMAGE TO THE COMPRESSOR BLADES. THE FORWARD LAVATORY EXTERNAL SEAL WAS MISSING THE SAFETY BUTTON AND THE INTERNAL SEAL WAS IMPROPERLY INSTALLED ALLOWING FOR LEAKAGE WHEN THE AIRPLANE WAS PRESSURIZED. THE FUSELAGE EXTERNAL SKIN AFT OF THE FORWARD LAVATORY SERVICE PANEL WAS STAINED WITH BLUE FLUID.
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: 12,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,169 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 16, 1989; 166 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 196,000 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8-D-15 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Northwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 1:15 pm
- Destination: MSP Minneapolis MS
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:55 pm from TPA, 105 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 139 |
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.