Boeing 727-31 accident near Newark, New Jersey, December 9, 1989
On December 9, 1989 at about 3:10 am local time, a Boeing 727-31, registered N727PJ, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark airport). It was a positioning flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THERMAL DISTRESS OF THE FIRST STAGE TURBINE BLADES OF THE NUBER ONE ENGINE CAUSING A DEGRADATION OF MATERIAL PROPERTIES WHICH RESULTED IN BLADE FRACTURES. THE REASON FOR THE THERMAL DISTRESS WAS NOT DETERMINED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 9, 1989 · about 3:10 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 7 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-31 · all 727-31s on the register
- Registration
- N727PJ · registry record · serial 18752
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AT FLIGHT LEVEL 370 THE CREW HEARD A LOUD EXPLOSION-TYPE NOISE. THE #1 ENGINE SHOWED A POWER LOSS, AND THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO VIBRATE. THE CREW SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN, AND AN UNEVENTFUL 2-ENGINE LANDING WAS MADE AT NEWARK. AN ENGINE TURBINE BLADE WAS FOUND LODGED IN THE AIRPLANE'S VERTICAL STABILIZER. AN ENGINE TEARDOWN SHOWED THERMAL DISTRESS TO THE FIRST STAGE TURBINE BLADES CAUSING A DEGRADATION OF MATERIAL PROPERTIES RESULTING IN BLADE FRACTURES. THE CAUSE OF THE THERMAL DISTRESS WAS NOT DETERMINED.
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, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,215 hours in all; 2,634 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 170,000 lb
- Seats: 77
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ICT Wichita, KS at 1:02 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 90 knots
- Visibility: 25 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC90FA038.