Boeing 727-223 accident near Cotonou, Bn, December 25, 2003
On December 25, 2003 at about 12:59 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N3XGDO, was involved in an accident near Cotonou. It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. 141 people were killed and 25 people were seriously injured.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 2003 · about 12:59 pm local time · cases in 2003
- Place
- Cotonou, Brunei
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 141 people were killed and 25 people were seriously injured.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N3XGDO · not in the FAA's current or past register files
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 136 | 22 |
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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- Boeing 727 37 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Boeing 6,677 aircraft on the register
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WAS04RA010.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.