Boeing 727-200 accident near New York, New York, January 13, 1999
On January 13, 1999 at about 9:55 pm local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered N785AT, was involved in an accident near New York, New York (La Guardia airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 160 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadequate counterbalancing to compensate for the weight of the cargo door.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 13, 1999 · about 9:55 pm local time
- Place
- New York, New York · La Guardia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 160 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- N785AT · no longer on the register · serial 21691
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The ground handler attempted to close the cargo door of the parked Boeing 727, in preparation for its departure. She released the support strut, the door fell down, and the strut penetrated her hand. About 3 weeks prior to the accident, the cargo door was reported as 'heavy to open.' Corrective action consisted of re-securing the forward counterbalance hinge. About a month after the accident, the cargo door was reported as, 'heavy when opening.' Corrective action at that time was: 'Adjusted cable tension on fwd balance.'
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 51,818 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 11, 1999
- Maximum gross weight: 194,800 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Trans Air
The flight
- Departed from: LGA
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 020° at 18 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,600 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from LGA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 153 |
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.