- Date
- August 12, 1990, 09:08 local (15:08 UTC)
- Place
- Belgrade, MT
- Injuries
- 157 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N69735Boeing 727-224
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900812065479I
- Case key
- 41134
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 malfunction of the starter control valve.
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 the beginning of a flight, just after takeoff, the fire warning light illuminated for the number 3 engine. The flight crew performed the appropriate emergency procedures and returned for landing. After landing, fire crews extinguished the still burning fire that was confined to the engine compartment. Inspection of the engine revealed that the starter experienced an inflight failure. The starter control valve was examined and found to operate normally at the time of the inspection.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N69735
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-224
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 20664
- Airframe hours
- 48,235
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-9A, 14,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Fire
- In-Flight
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Continental Airlines
- Registered owner
- Unknown
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 10, 1990 · 9 hours before
- Destination
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BZN · Gallatin Fld, runway 12, 4,002 × 150 ft, asphalt
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
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 14,000 total · 2,400 in this make and model · 12,000 as pilot in command · 240 in the last 90 days · 80 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 120° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 40 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BZN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.