- Date
- December 8, 1989, 22:10 local (Dec 9, 1989, 03:10 UTC)
- Place
- Newark, NJ
- Injuries
- 7 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N727PJBoeing 727-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report October 7, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891208065579A
- Case key
- 36517
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Thermal distress of the first stage turbine blades of the nuber one engine causing a degradation of material properties which resulted in blade fractures. The reason for the thermal distress was not determined.
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
At flight level 370 the crew heard a loud explosion-type noise. The #1 engine showed a power loss, and the airplane began to vibrate. The crew shut the engine down, and an uneventful 2-engine landing was made at Newark. An engine turbine blade was found lodged in the airplane's vertical stabilizer. An engine teardown showed thermal distress to the first stage turbine blades causing a degradation of material properties resulting in blade fractures. The cause of the thermal distress was not determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N727PJ
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 18752
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-7B, 14,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Private Jet Expeditions Inc
- Departed
- ICT · Wichita,, KS
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- EWR · Newark
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
- 52
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Flight hours
- 12,215 total · 2,634 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 270° at 90 knots
- Visibility
- 25 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.