38.8951° N, 77.0364° WPlaced by OpenAirDocs: center of Washington, DC, within about 6 miles.Open in the map
Date
December 15, 1981 · 19:25 local
Place
Washington, DC
Airport
National
Phase of flight
To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
DALA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N465DA
Reported as
Boeing 727200
People aboard
105
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Za heavy buffeting in nose area after takeoff. Returned. Right forward nose gear door had departed aircraft.
As the FAA filed it
ZA HEAVY BUFFETING IN NOSE AREA AFTER TAKEOFF. RETURNED. RIGHT FORWARD NOSE GEAR DOOR HAD DEPARTED AIRCRAFT.