Boeing 727 accident near Burlington, Vermont, March 10, 1987
On March 10, 1987 at about 5:10 pm local time, a Boeing 727, registered N780AL, was substantially damaged in an accident near Burlington, Vermont (Burlington airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 104 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
- March 10, 1987 · about 5:10 pm local time
- Place
- Burlington, Vermont · Burlington
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 104 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727 · all 727s on the register
- Registration
- N780AL · no longer on the register · serial 21999
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
IN PREPARATION FOR POWERING AWAY FROM THE GATE, ONE GROUNDMAN WAS STATIONED OFF THE LEFT NOSE OF THE ACFT AND ANOTHER WAS POSITIONED BY THE LEFT WING TIP. THE PLT ADVANCED THE THROTTLES AND INITIATED A RIGHT TURN. THE THROTTLES WERE BROUGHT BACK TO IDLE SHORTLY AFTER THE ACFT STARTED ROLLING TO PREVENT JET BLAST DAMAGE. ACCORDING TO THE CPT OF FLT 37, THE SECOND TIME HE LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW HE SAW A GROUNDMAN GIVING HIM A SIGNAL TO SLOW DOWN, HOWEVER, IT WAS TOO LATE TO AVOID HITTING THE JETWAY WITH THE LEFT WING TIP. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT THE JETWAY HAD BEEN IMPROPERLY POSITIONED MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE BOEING 727 TO CLEAR IT.
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: 8,150 hours in all; 5,250 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 449 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BVT Burlington VT at 5:10 pm
- Destination: San Francisco CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 97 |
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.