Boeing 737-200 incident near Newark, New Jersey, January 4, 1987
On January 4, 1987 at about 6:15 am local time, a Boeing 737-200, registered N409PE, was involved in an incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 10 people had minor injuries; 98 others were unhurt. 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 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
- January 4, 1987 · about 6:15 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 10 people had minor injuries; 98 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N409PE · no longer on the register · serial 19026
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING DESCENT PRIOR TO THE APPROACH TO NEWARK, NJ THE B737 CREW ATTEMPTED TO START THE APU. THE APU FAILED TO START. DURING LNDG ROLL ANOTHER ATTEMPT TO START THE APU RESULTED IN A FIRE WARNING LIGHT. THE FIRE BOTTLE WAS DISCHARGED BUT THE FIRE WARNING REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE CAPT ORDERED AN EVACUATION WHILE PARKED ON A TAXIWAY. SOME PASSENGERS EXITED THRU THE OVERWING EXIT ON THEIR OWN. SOME OF THESE PASSENGERS WERE INJURED GETTING OFF ON THE WING. INSPECTION OF THE APU REVEALED NO FIRE DAMAGE. POST ACC TEST RESULTS SHOWED THAT THE UNIT HAD TURBINE BLADES BURNED AND ERODED, FUEL CONTROL CRACKING PRESSURE SET HIGHER THAN SPECIFIED, AND THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS WIRES TO THE FUEL SOLENOID CONNECTOR WERE REVERSED.
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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,956 hours in all; 2,370 in this make and model; 190 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 3,392 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 45,500 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 89,850 lb
- Seats: 118
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORF Norfolk VA at 3:30 pm
- Destination: EWR Newark NJ
- Flight plan: VFR then IFR
- Runway 4R, 9,800 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 10 | 93 |
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 N409PE 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.