Boeing 727-232 incident near Howard Beach, New York, August 16, 1996
On August 16, 1996 at about 3:25 am local time, a Boeing 727-232, registered N24343, suffered minor damage in an incident near Howard Beach, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 112 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fatigue failure of the fore flap attachment fitting, due to grinding marks on the fitting.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 16, 1996 · about 3:25 am local time
- Place
- Howard Beach, New York · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 112 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-232 · all 727-232s on the register
- Registration
- N24343 · no longer on the register · serial 21630
- 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 Boeing 727-231 was on final approach with the landing gear down and locked and the flaps at 15 degrees. When the flaps were extended to 30 degrees, the airplane started to roll right. Controllability was assessed and found to be satisfactory for continuation of the approach and landing. Postlanding examination of the airplane revealed the inboard section of the fore flap on the right wing had separated from the airplane. The separated flap section was located in a street of Howard Beach, NY about 2.5 miles from the approach end of runway 13L. Metallurgical examination of the respective attachment fitting revealed a fatigue crack that had originated from grinding marks on the fitting. The source of the grinding marks, (original manufacturer or rebuilder) was not determined. During maintenance, the fitting is inspected visually during a 'C' check (at 1690 hour intervals), which had last occurred 1030 hours before the occurrence.
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: 16,873 hours in all; 5,380 in this make and model; 264 in the last 90 days; 4,189 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 45,145 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, February 2, 1997; 321 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 172,000 lb
- Seats: 156
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL
- Destination: JFK Jamaica NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 105 |
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.