Boeing 727-100 accident near St. Louis, Missouri, May 20, 1983
On May 20, 1983 at about 3:20 pm local time, a Boeing 727-100, registered N40483, was substantially damaged in an accident near St. Louis, Missouri (Lambert-St. Louis Intntl. airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 52 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 1983 · about 3:20 pm local time
- Place
- St. Louis, Missouri · Lambert-St. Louis Intntl.
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 52 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-100 · all 727-100s on the register
- Registration
- N40483 · no longer on the register · serial 18331
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS SCHEDULED AS CONTINENTAL FLT 415 & WAS DEPARTING FROM EASTERN AIRLINES GATE 14A. WHILE DEPARTING FROM THE GATE, THE AIRCREW TURNED LEFT TO AVOID A DC-9 PARKED AT GATE 14, THEN TURNED RIGHT TO A YELLOW TAXI LINE. WHILE MANEUVERING, THE LEFT WING TIP EXTENDED ACROSS DESIGNATED VEHICULAR TRAFFIC LANES & SCRAPED THE TOP OF A FUEL TRUCK. THE TRUCK WAS PARKED IN THE FURTHEST LANE FROM THE GATES & TAXI AREA. REPORTEDLY, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN SUFFICIENT CLEARANCE IF THE ACFT HAD BEEN TAXIING ALONG THE YELLOW TAXI LINE WITHOUT MANEUVERING.
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: 17,461 hours in all; 6,700 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 47,457 hours
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, February 7, 1983; 774 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 45 |
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.