- Date
- May 24, 1989, 08:05 local (14:05 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 121 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Pushback/towing
- Aircraft
- N296WABoeing 727-247
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report August 26, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890524012749I
- Case key
- 17619
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The NTSB’s determination of the probable cause, and any contributing factors.
Failure of the left main landing gear forward trunnion bearing support fitting due to a crack initiating at the forward edge of the bore and propagating by intergranular stress corrosion into the bore surface that resulted in an eventual ductile fracture.
Analysis
The left main landing gear collapsed as the aircraft was pulled forward slightly to bring the nosewheel off the chocks prior to pushback. Inspection disclosed a fracture of the forward trunnion bearing support fitting (p/n 65-16206-11) and heavy surface corrosion. Microscopic examination disclosed extensive intergranular stress corrosion, and a crack that had developed 0.1 inches inboard from the forward edge of the bore, which had propagated approximately 2.1 inches aft into the bore surface. The final fracture resulted from ductile separation.
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.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N296WA
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-247
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22533
- Airframe hours
- 25,391
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-15, 15,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines
- Registered owner
- First Security Bank Of Utah
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 27, 1989 · 217 hours before
- Departed
- DEN
- Destination
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KDEN · Stapelton Int'L
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 50
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 8,200 total · 3,000 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DEN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.