- Date
- December 19, 1990, 20:02 local (Dec 20, 1990, 03:02 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 125 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N40486Boeing 727-22
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901219065899I
- Case key
- 18040
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
Failure of an engine bearing.
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
Shortly after takeoff, as the aircraft was climbing through 800 feet AGL, the number one engine failed. The captain shut down the engine and elected to continue flight to Denver where he landed without incident. Engine disassembly revealed bearing failure due to a crack in the number six bearing outer race. There was no evidence of turbine failure. Uncontained penetration ocurred at the 2:30, 5:30, and 6:30 positions.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N40486
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-22
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18848
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-7, 14,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Continental Airlines
- Departed
- COS · Colorado Spring, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 43
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 13,700 total · 3,800 in this make and model · 10,900 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 110° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 1 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Observed at
- COS, 10 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.