Boeing 727-264 accident near Orlando, Florida, August 6, 1995
On August 6, 1995 at about 1:10 am local time, a Boeing 727-264, registered N764AT, was substantially damaged in an accident near Orlando, Florida (Orlando International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 165 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE GROUND CREW TO FOLLOW PROCEDURES/DIRECTIVES REQUIRING THAT THE AIRPLANE BRAKES BE SET BEFORE DISCONNECTING THE TOW BAR FROM THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 6, 1995 · about 1:10 am local time
- Place
- Orlando, Florida · Orlando International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 165 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-264 · all 727-264s on the register
- Registration
- N764AT · no longer on the register · serial 22984
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER PUSHBACK, WITH ALL ENGINES OPERATING AND THE AIRPLANE BRAKES APPLIED, THE GROUND CREW REPORTED DIFFICULTY DISCONNECTING THE TOW BAR FROM THE AIRPLANE. THE FLIGHTCREW RELEASED THE BRAKES AT THE REQUEST OF THE GROUND CREW, AND THE TOW BAR WAS DISCONNECTED FIRST FROM THE AIRPLANE THEN THE TUG. WHILE THE GROUND CREWMEMBER WAS RECONNECTING THE TOW BAR TO THE TUG, HE OBSERVED THE AIRPLANE MOVING FORWARD AND ADVISED THE CAPTAIN TO APPLY THE AIRPLANE BRAKES. THE AIRPLANE THEN COLLIDED WITH THE TUG.
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: 10,800 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 37,499 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, February 24, 1995; 1,220 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 195,500 lb
- Seats: 181
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Trans Air
The flight
- Departed from: MCO at 1:10 am
- Destination: MKE Milwaukee WI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 110° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 158 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N764AT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.