Boeing 727-100 incident near Newark, New Jersey, October 7, 1988
On October 7, 1988 at about 3:55 am local time, a Boeing 727-100, registered N118FE, suffered minor damage in an incident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark Int'L 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
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 7, 1988 · about 3:55 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark Int'L
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-100 · all 727-100s on the register
- Registration
- N118FE · registry record · serial 19300
- 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 #3 ENG SUFFERED AN UNCONTAINED TURBINE BLADE FAILURE DURING A TAKEOFF ROLL. THE TAKEOFF WAS ABORTED AT 120 KTS WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT ALL 12 TIERODS FOR THE 2ND STAGE LOW COMPRESSOR SUFFERED A PROGESSIVE FAILURE. THIS RESULTED IN THE UNCOUPLING OF THE FAN SECTION, IMBALANCE IN THE 3,4,5, & 6 STAGES, UNCOUPLING OF THE LOW POWER TURBINE AND FINALLY, OVERSPEED & OVERHEAT OF THE TURBINE.
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: 8,000 hours in all; 429 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 152,000 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 4:55 am
- Destination: Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4L, 7,460 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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.