Boeing 727-225 accident near Memphis, Tennessee, March 27, 1996
On March 27, 1996 at about 3:18 pm local time, a Boeing 727-225, registered N468FE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
failure of the flightcrew to maintain clearance from construction equipment while taxiing after landing. Factors relating to the accident were: failure of operator personnel to supply the flightcrew with current NOTAM information, failure of ATC personnel to include NOTAM information on ATIS information 'Alpha,' failure of tower personnel to ensure that the flightcrew had the most current ATIS information, failure of the ground controller to control the movement of the aircraft to prevent it from entering the closed taxiway, and failure of the airport authority to block the closed taxiway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 27, 1996 · about 3:18 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · Memphis International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-225 · all 727-225s on the register
- Registration
- N468FE · no longer on the register · serial 21452
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A NOTAM had been issued by the airport authority for closure of the portion of Taxiway A, between the entrance to the Northwest Airlink hangar and Taxiway B. Athough the NOTAM had been sent to the FAA Tower and Federal Express, the flightcrew was not provided this NOTAM by Federal Express, and the closed taxiway was not blocked off. The flightcrew received ATIS information 'Alpha' about 120 miles from Memphis, but the controller, who had recorded the ATIS, did not include the NOTAM information. About 20 minutes before the flight landed, the ATIS was changed to information 'Bravo,' which included the NOTAM information. The flightcrew did not get information 'Bravo,' and the approach controller did not ensure that the flightcrew had the most current information. After landing, the flight was cleared to taxi and hold short of runway 27. The ground controller did not inform the flightcrew that taxiway 'A' was closed. The flight proceeded along the closed portion of taxiway 'A,' and as the flightcrew was maneuvering around construction equipment, the right wing of the aircraft struck the construction equipment.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 2,164 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 41,770 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 14, 1996; 38 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 190,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORF Norfolk VA at 1:25 pm
- Destination: MEM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36C, 8,400 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 11,000 ft
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 25°F (-4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:51 pm from MEM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 |
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.