Boeing 727-232 incident near Boise, Idaho, December 8, 1995
On December 8, 1995 at about 4:24 am local time, a Boeing 727-232, registered N543DA, suffered minor damage in an incident near Boise, Idaho (Boise Air Terminal-Gowen airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 130 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot-in-command's misjudgment of the remedial action necessary to correct the aircraft's misalignment with the runway. The dark night conditions, fog, and the pilot-in-command's failure to maintain proper alignment with the runway were factors.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 8, 1995 · about 4:24 am local time
- Place
- Boise, Idaho · Boise Air Terminal-Gowen
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 130 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-232 · all 727-232s on the register
- Registration
- N543DA · registry record · serial 22392
- 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 flight was on a coupled Category I ILS approach in fog and dark night conditions. After passing the final approach fix, the crew was notified that the runway visibility range (RVR) was below minimums. The captain continued the approach to decision height (DH) in accordance with company operations specifications. He visually acquired the runway prior to DH and continued toward landing, disengaging the autopilot about 60 feet above the runway. The flight data recorder (FDR) indicated that the aircraft heading then began to drift right. The cockpit crewmembers stated that upon noticing the drift, the captain countered it with aileron and rudder inputs. The FDR indicated a roll angle of -7.50 degrees at the instant maximum vertical G and minimum altitude readings were recorded, increasing to -14.90 degrees one second later. Damage was observed to the left outboard slats and flap after the flight. A Boeing chart indicated that at a pitch angle of 3.9 degrees and landing sink rate of 10 feet per second, the outboard slat and flap will contact the ground at a roll angle between 7.45 and 8.7 degrees.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,589 hours in all; 5,200 in this make and model; 224 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 44,286 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 5, 1995; 420 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 184,200 lb
- Seats: 156
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SLC Salt Lake City UT at 3:14 am
- Destination: BOI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10R, 9,763 ft by 190 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 27°F (-3°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:15 am from BOI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 124 |
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.