Boeing 727-243 incident near Orlando, Florida, April 2, 1994
On April 2, 1994 at about 7:39 pm local time, a Boeing 727-243, registered N59412, suffered minor damage in an incident near Orlando, Florida (Orlando International airport). 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
The total failure of the left main landing gear door actuator fitting due to fatigue cracking in the fitting. Contributing to the accident was inadequate written inspection procedures by the aircraft manufacturer.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 2, 1994 · about 7:39 pm local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · Orlando International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 150 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-243 · all 727-243s on the register
- Registration
- N59412 · registry record · serial 22053
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHEN LANDING GEAR EXTENTION WAS ATTEMPTED IN PREPARATION FOR LANDING, THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR DID NOT EXTEND. THE PILOT MADE A GO-AROUND, COMPLETED THE REQUIRED EMERGENCY PROCEDURES, COULD NOT LOWER THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR, AND DIVERTED TO ANOTHER AIRPORT. THE PILOT LANDED WITH THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR IN THE RETRACTED POSITION. THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE. THE 9 CREWMEMBERS AND 141 PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. EXAMINATION OF THE LEFT MAIN LANDING GEAR DISCLOSED A BROKEN LANDING GEAR DOOR ACTUATOR FITTING. SEVERAL SERVICE BULLETINS HAD BEEN ISSUED OUTLINING REPETITIVE INSPECTIONS PROCEDURES AIMED AT PREVENTING SUCH FAILURES. THE OPERATOR HAD COMPLIED WITH ALL APPLICABLE SERVICE BULLETINS AND AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,500 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model; 177 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 13,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 34,039 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 25, 1994; 299 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 175,500 lb
- Seats: 158
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 3:45 pm
- Destination: RSW Ft. Myers FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18R, 12,004 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,900 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:20 pm from MCO
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| 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.