- Date
- March 29, 1985, 14:11 local (20:11 UTC)
- Place
- Mexico City, Mexico
- Injuries
- 152 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N701AABoeing 727-200B
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19850329026869I
- Case key
- 21590
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
During the initial climb after takeoff a 27 foot tall light pole was struck by the right main landing gear 1,677 feet from the end of the rwy. Acft gross weight dictated a 5 deg flap takeoff and company performance data authorized departure on either rwy 5R or 23L. The crew performed an intersection takeoff on rwy 23R resulting in 10,415 ft of usable rwy instead of the programed 13,190 ft on 5R/23L. The captain was flying the acft but neither the copilot or the flight engineer recognized the error or initiated remedial action. Pole contact resulted in a blown #4 tire and damage to the gear ass'y and trailing edge flap. The acft landed uneventfully at dfw arpt, the intended dest. Density alt was aprx 10,000 ft MSL.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N701AA
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-200B
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 22459
- Airframe hours
- 11,501
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-15, 14,500 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- American Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Departed
- MEX · Mexico City
- Destination
- DFW · Dfw Inter Arpt, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- DFW · Dfw
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20,747 total · 4,956 in this make and model · 190 in the last 90 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 81 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.