Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82 accident near East Boston, Massachusetts, September 28, 1991
On September 28, 1991 at about 9:50 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82, registered N819NY, suffered minor damage in an accident near East Boston, Massachusetts (Logan Int'L Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people were seriously injured; 126 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE MALFUNCTION OF AN ELECTRICAL COMPONENT IN THE COCKPIT, WHICH RESULTED IN SMOKE AND THE SUBSEQUENT EMERGENCY EVACUATION OF THE PASSENGERS FROM THE AIRPLANE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1991 · about 9:50 pm local time
- Place
- East Boston, Massachusetts · Logan Int'L Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 126 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82
- Registration
- N819NY · no longer on the register · serial 49479
- 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 AIRPLANE WAS TAXIING FOR TAKEOFF, WHEN THE COCKPIT FILLED WITH SMOKE. THE CAPTAIN STOPPED THE AIRPLANE ON A TAXIWAY AND ORDERED AN EMERGENCY EVACUATION. AN EXAMINATION REVEALED A FUSE HOLDER FOR A COCKPIT INSTRUMENT HAD MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE FIRE/SMOKE.
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: 9,200 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 152
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D217A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Continental Airlines INC.
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 121 |
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.