- Date
- December 28, 1982, 10:28 local (15:28 UTC)
- Place
- Washington, DC
- Injuries
- 73 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N752NBoeing 737-222
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 28, 1983
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 72968
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The acft was observed by witnesses to descend below its normal descent path and to horizontially stray off course to thepoint that office bldg occupants and persons on the ground were concerned by the appearance and noise of the acft duringa vor/dme approach to Washington nat'l arpt. The FDR and radar plots confirm the position of the acft. One of the buildings 2.5 miles from the arpt is about 396 ft MSL. The vor/dme approach has an alt restriction of 900 ft MSL at 3 nmand a minimum descent alt of 720 ft at 2.5 NM. The plt was interviewed and he stated that he thought everything was normal and that he was at the alt restriction at the 3 mile DME. Radar shows his alt as about 517 ft at 3 mile DME and about 400 ft at 2.5 mile DME. Radar and witnesses agree on a turn and climb at this point toward the river and the normal approach path.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N752N
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-222
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 19073
- Airframe hours
- 32,625
- Engine
- P & W JT-8D-9, 14,500 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Piedmont Airport
- Registered owner
- Piedmont Airport
- Departed
- ROA · Roanoke, VA
- Destination
- DCA · Washington, DC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- Washington National, runway 18, 6,869 × 150 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 8,123 total · 2,013 in this make and model · 153 in the last 90 days · 58 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 7 knots
- Visibility
- 4 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 700 ft
- Temperature
- 135 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DCA, 3 nm away