Boeing 727-200 incident near Portland, Maine, October 15, 1986
On October 15, 1986 at about 2:04 am local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered N517PE, suffered minor damage in an incident near Portland, Maine (Portland Jetport airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 43 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- October 15, 1986 · about 2:04 am local time
- Place
- Portland, Maine · Portland Jetport
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 43 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N517PE · no longer on the register · serial 21264
- 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 CP WAS FLYING THE AIRCRAFT FROM THE LEFT SEAT WHILE BEING OBSERVED BY THE PIC. THE PIC WAS MONITORING THE APPROACH, WHICH WAS BEING MADE IN IMC CONDITIONS AND NOTED THE AIRCRAFT DRIFTING TO THE LEFT, THE CP STARTED TO MAKE CORRECTION TO THE RIGHT AT WHICH POINT PIC TOOK CONTROL AND ROLLED TO THE RIGHT, LANDING THE AIRCRAFT. IN DOING SO THE RIGHT WING TIP MADE CONTACT WITH THE GROUND CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE OUTBOARD RIGHT LEADING EDGE DEVICE. SCRAPED OUTBOARD RIGHT TRAILING EDGE FLAP, SCRAPED RIGHT WING TIP, AND DAMAGED RIGHT STATIC WICK. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. NO FIRE, OR OTHER DAMAGE. CREW MEMBERS WERE NOT AWARE OF DAMAGE UNTIL NOTIFIED BY GROUND PERSONNEL AT THE GATE.
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: 12,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21,827 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 18, 1985
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 185
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 11, 6,800 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 200° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 36 |
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.