- Date
- December 3, 1987, 12:34 local (18:34 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 87 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N571PEBoeing 727-243
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 28, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19871203083409I
- Case key
- 22567
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
Improper drilling of the cross hole in the slat track bearing bolt, which led to its failure from fatigue cracking.
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 approach to landing the number six leading edge slat assembly failed. The inboard section of the slat hung down and bent aft. The pilot landed the acft without further incident. Metallurgical analysis of components revealed that a slat track roller bearing contained evidence of corrosion and spalling. Additionally, the slat track bearing bolt that had been installed through the above mentioned bearing had heavy circumferential gouges contained in the surface of a cross-drilled hole at the areas of fatigue initiation. There was also evidence of tearing, typical of damage produced during drilling with a dull drill bit. The airplane had completed a major structural maintenance check 48 flight hours and 28 cycles prior to the incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N571PE
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-243
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21264
- Airframe hours
- 24,892
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-9A, 14,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- People Express Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- AAIP · November 27, 1987 · 48 hours before
- Departed
- ELP · El Paso, TX
- Destination
- IAH · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- IAH · Houston Intercontinental, runway 14, 12,001 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 34
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,500 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 200 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 11 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- IAH
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.