Boeing 727-225A incident near Sarasota, Florida, February 13, 1990
On February 13, 1990 at about 4:30 am local time, a Boeing 727-225A, registered N8889Z, suffered minor damage in an incident near Sarasota, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 150 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER SERVICING OF THE FORWARD LAVATORY BY CONTRACT SERVICE PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 13, 1990 · about 4:30 am local time
- Place
- Sarasota, Florida
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 150 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-225A · all 727-225As on the register
- Registration
- N8889Z · no longer on the register · serial 889-21858
- 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 BOEING 727 SHUT DOWN THE NO 3 ENGINE DUE TO SEVERE VIBRATIONS. SUBSEQUENT EXAMINATION REVEALED MASSIVE DAMAGE TO THE BLADES OF THE LPC. THE FORWARD LAVATORY HAD BEEN SERVICED BEFORE THE FLIGHT AND THE INTERIOR DONUT SEAL WAS MISSING. THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE AIRPLANE WAS COVERED 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 sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,217 hours in all; 1,713 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 28,887 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 5, 1989
- Maximum gross weight: 173,000 lb
- Seats: 150
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8D-15 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 3:15 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 350° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 am from SRQ, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 143 |
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.