Boeing 727 plane crashes

Other Boeing models: 717, 727, 737,
747, 757, 767, 777, 787

The following are significant events involving the aircraft model. The numbered events are those involving at least one passenger death where the aircraft flight had a direct or indirect role, and where at least one of the dead passengers was not a stowaway, hijacker, or saboteur.

  1. 16 August 1965; United Airlines 727; Flight 389; near Lake Forest, IL: The aircraft had a controlled flight into the waters of Lake Michigan while on approach to Chicago. There was no indication of any unusual problem prior to impact. All six crew members and 24 passengers were killed.
  2. 8 November 1965; American Airlines 727; Flight 383; near Cincinnati, OH: The aircraft flew into a low hill during approach, impacting about two miles (3.2 km) short of the runway. The crash occurred during a visual approach in darkness and light rain. Five of the six crew members and 53 of the 56 passengers were killed.
  3. 11 November 1965; United Airlines 727; Flight 227; Salt Lake City, UT: The aircraft crashed about 340 feet (103 meters) short of the runway after an excessively steep final approach. The main landing gear failed and the aircraft slid to a stop and caught fire. None of the crew members and 43 of the 85 passengers were killed.
  4. 4 February 1966; All Nippon Airways 727; Flight 60; near Tokyo, Japan: During a night approach, the aircraft crashed into the waters of Tokyo Bay about 6.5 miles (10.4 km) from Haneda airport. All seven crew members and 126 passengers were killed.
  5. 19 July 1967; Piedmont 727; Flight 22; Hendersonville, NC: The 727 was climbing away from the Asheville airport when it hit a Cessna 310 about eight miles (13 km) from the airport. All five crew members and 74 passengers were killed. The three occupants of the Cessna were also killed.
  6. 16 February 1968; Civil Air Transport 727; Flight 010; near Linkuo, Taiwan: The aircraft impacted trees and a house short of the runway during a night approach in poor weather. Three of the 11 crew members and 18 of the 52 passengers were killed. One person in the house was also killed.
  7. 5 January 1969; Ariana Afghan Airlines 727-100; Flight 701; near Gatwick Airport, England: The aircraft hit trees and a house about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) short of the runway during approach. Five of the eight crew members and 43 of the 54 passengers were killed. Two people in the house were also killed.
  8. 18 January 1969; United Airlines 727; Flight 266; Los Angeles, CA: The aircraft crashed into Santa Monica Bay shortly after a night takeoff in poor weather. The crew reported an engine one fire warning, shut down the engine, and initiated an air turn back before crashing into the water at high speed and an unusual attitude. Electrical failure was suspected. All six crew members and 32 passengers were killed.
  9. 4 June 1969; Mexicana 727; Flight 704; near Monterey, Mexico: The aircraft hit high ground during descent. The crash happened in daylight under poor weather conditions. All seven crew members and 72 passengers were killed.
  10. 21 September 1969; Mexicana 727; Mexico City, Mexico: The aircraft undershot the runway and landed about 0.9 miles (1.5 km) short of the runway. The aircraft hit a railway embankment and broke up. Five of the seven crew members and 22 of the 111 passengers were killed.
  11. 28 December 1970; American Airlines (Trans Caribbean Airways) 727-200; N8790R; flight 505; St. Thomas, VI: This was a scheduled domestic flight from San Juan, PR to St. Thomas, VI. The aircraft had a hard landing which caused it to bounce. The crew executed a second touchdown which caused on of the main landing gear to fail. The aircraft overran the runway on the right side and hit an embankment. All seven crew members survived, but two of the 46 passengers were killed.
    American Airlines crashes

  12. 11 June 1971; TWA 727; flight 358; Chicago, IL: While passengers were boarding the aircraft for a scheduled domestic flight to New York's JFK airport, the hijacker, who was not a ticketed passenger, entered the aircraft, killed one of the passengers, and demanded to be flown to North Vietnam. After the passeners were released and the aircraft took off for New York, a US Marshall, who had entered the aircraft prior to departure, apprehended the hijacker.

  13. 30 July 1971; All Nippon Airways 727-200; Flight 58; northern Honshu, Japan, CA: The aircraft crashed after an in flight collision with an F-86F jet fighter. All seven crew members and 155 passengers were killed. The fighter pilot was able to bail out successfully.
  14. 4 September 1971; Alaska Airlines 727-100; N2969G; flight 1866; near Juneau, AK: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Yakutat, AK, to Juneau, AK, and was inbound for landing when it flew into the slopes of a mountain about 28 miles (30 km) west of the airfield. The crew had received misleading navigational information for reasons that were not determined, and based on that information had prematurely descended below obstacle clearance altitude. All seven crew members and 104 passengers were killed.
    NTSB final report
    Alaska Airlines crashes

  15. 21 February 1973; Libyan Arab Airlines 727-200; Flight 114; Israeli occupied Sinai Desert: The aircraft was shot down by Israeli fighters after the 727 had strayed into the airspace of the occupied territory. Eight of the nine crew members and 100 of the 104 passengers were killed.
  16. 15 September 1974; Air Vietnam 727-100; near Phan Rang, South Vietnam: The aircraft crashed after a hijack. All eight crew members and 62 passengers were killed.
  17. 1 December 1974; TWA 727-200; near Berryville, VA: The aircraft crashed into a mountain while on approach. All eight crew members and 85 passengers were killed.
  18. 24 June 1975; Eastern Airlines 727-200; New York, NY: The aircraft was a scheduled flight from New Orleans to JFK Airport in New York that crashed on approach after encountering wind shear associated with a very strong thunderstorm. Six of the eight crew members and 107 of the 116 passengers were killed.
  19. 5 April 1976; Alaska Airlines 727; N124AS; Ketchikan, AK: The aircraft touched down at about 145 knots and with a tailwind of about three knots, and the crew attempted to execute a go-around maneuver. The crew was unable to disengage the thrust reversers, and was unable to stay on the runway, overran the runway ending up in a ravine about 700 feet beyond the end of the runway. All seven crew members survived, but one of the 50 passengers was killed.
    NTSB final report
    Alaska Airlines crashes

  20. 27 April 1976; American Airlines 727-23; N1963; flight 625; St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight domestic flight from JFK airport in New York to St. Thomas, VI. The aircraft overran the runway after an unsuccessful attempt at aborting the landing, striking an antenna and proceeding through a fence before hitting a gas station. Two of the seven crew members and 35 of the 81 passengers were killed. One person on the ground was seriously injured.
    More about this event
    American Airlines crashes

  21. 19 September 1976; THY 727-200; near Isparta, Turkey: This was a scheduled domestic flight between Istanbul and Antalya. The aircraft struck a mountain near Isparta during the approach. All eight crew members and 146 passengers were killed.

  22. 19 November 1977; TAP Air Portugal 727-200; Flight 425; Funchal, Portugal: The aircraft touched down long on a wet runway, overran the runway, broke up, and caught fire. Six of the eight crew members and 125 of the 156 passengers were killed.
  23. 8 May 1978; National Airlines 727-200; near Pensacola, FL : The aircraft landed in the water short of the airport due to a combination of low visibility and pilot judgment. Three of the 52 passengers were killed.
  24. 25 September 1978; Pacific Southwest 727-200; Flight 182; San Diego, CA: The aircraft had a midair collision with a single engine Cessna 172 and crashed. Both aircraft had been inbound to the San Diego airport (Lindbergh Field) with the 727 following the Cessna. Air traffic control instructed the 727 to maintain visual separation, but the crew lost sight of the aircraft. Although air traffic control radioed a conflict alert to the Cessna, the warning came at about the same time as the collision. At the time of the collision, the 727 was descending and overtaking the Cessna, while the Cessna was climbing in a wings level attitude. The Cessna was hit by the right wing of the 727 and broke up immediately and exploded. The 727 entered a descending right turn and crashed into a residential area. All seven crew members and 128 passengers in the 727 were killed, as were both occupants of the Cessna and seven others on the ground. Over 20 houses were damaged or destroyed.
    Fatal midair collisions
    More on this event
  25. 13 March 1979; Royal Jordanian 727-200; Flight 600; near Doha Airport, Qatar: The plane landed in the midst of a thunderstorm. The crash killed three of the 15 crew members and 42 of the 49 passengers were killed.
  26. 15 November 1979; American Airlines 727-200; flight 444; en route from Chicago to Washington, DC: This was a scheduled domestic flight from Chicago, IL, to National Airport (Arlington, VA) near Washington, DC. The Unabomber (Theodore Kaczynski) had shipped a package containing an explosive device, and it was triggered in flight. The bomb failed to explode, but it did generate large quantities of smoke. The crew diverted to Dulles Airport near Washington and landed without further incident. All six crew members and 72 passengers survived, though 12 passengers suffered from smoke inhalation. This was the only known bombing attempt on an aircraft by the Unabomber. Investigators determined that if the bomb had successfully detonated, it would have led to the loss of the aircraft. A total of 16 bombing events between 1978 and 1995 were attributed to Kaczynski, and those explosions led to three deaths and a number of serious injuries. He was arrested in 1996, plead guilty to all charges against him, and he is now serving a life sentence in a US federal prison.
    About Theodore Kaczynski (the Unabomber)
    American Airlines crashes

  27. 21 January 1980; Iran Air 727-86; near Tehran, Iran : The aircraft hit high ground in snowstorm during approach. All eight crew members and 120 passengers were killed.
  28. 12 April 1980; Transbrasil 727-200; Florianopolis, Brazil : The aircraft hit high ground during thunderstorm during approach. All eight crew members and 47 of the 50 passengers were killed.

  29. 25 April 1980; Dan-Air 727-46; Tenerife, Canary Islands : The aircraft hit high ground in cloud while in controlled flight. All eight crew members and 138 passengers were killed.

  30. 14 October 1980; THY 727; Diyarbakir, Turkey : The aircraft was hijacked while it was on an international flight from Munich, West Germany to Ankara, Turkey. The hijackers were taken into custody during a refueling stop at Diyarbakir. One passenger was killed during the incident.
    Turkish Airlines hijackings

  31. 8 June 1982; VASP 727-200; Flight 168; near Fortaleza, Brazil : The aircraft crashed into a 2500 foot (760 meter) hill during approach. There were also technical problems reported before starting the approach. All nine crew members and 126 passengers were killed.
  32. 9 July 1982; Pan Am 727-200; Flight 759; New Orleans, LA: The aircraft was on a scheduled flight from New Orleans to Las Vegas and crashed shortly after takeoff due to wind shear. All seven crew members and 138 passengers were killed. Eight people on the ground were also killed.
  33. 16 January 1983; THY 727-200; Flight 158; Ankara, Turkey: This was a scheduled domestic flight between Istanbul and Ankara. The aircraft crashed about 500 feet (150m) short of runway during poor visibility (fog and snow) and possibly wind shear. There were 47 fatalities among the 60 passengers.
    More about this event

  34. 7 December 1983; Iberia 727-200; EC-CFJ; flight IB350; Madrid, Spain: The aircraft was on a scheduled international flight from Madrid, Spain to Rome, Italy. During takeoff under foggy conditions, the aircraft struck an Aviaco DC9 that had not been cleared onto the runway, and both aircraft caught fire. One of the nine crew members and 50 of the 84 passengers on the 727 were killed. All five crew members and 37 passengers on the DC9 were also killed.
    Douglas DC9 plane crashes

  35. 1 January 1985; Eastern Airlines 727-200; Flight 980; near La Paz, Bolivia The aircraft hit a mountain at about 19,600 feet (6000 meters) while approaching La Paz at elevation 13,106 feet (4000 meters) All eight crew members and 21 passengers were killed.
  36. 19 February 1985; Iberia 727-200; EC-DDU; flight IB610; Madrid, Spain: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Madrid to Bilbao, Spain. During the approach, the crew interpreted an altitude alert warning as an approach mode alert, and continued the descent until the aircraft crashed into high ground near the top of a mountain. All seven crew members and 141 passengers were killed.

    14 June 1985; Flight 847; TWA 727 Athens, Greece: The aircraft was hijacked and the 153 crew and passengers were taken hostage for several days. A US military member was killed by the hijackers during this time.
  37. 31 March 1986; Mexicana 727-200; Flight 940; near Maravatio, Mexico: One of the tires on the main gear exploded in the wheel well shortly after takeoff and damaged the hydraulic and electrical systems. All eight crew members and 159 passengers were killed.
  38. 2 April 1986; TWA 727; Flight 840; near Athens, Greece: A bomb exploded in the cabin and blew a hole in the fuselage while the aircraft was approaching Athens. Four of the 114 passengers were sucked through the hole and killed.
  39. 17 March 1988; Avianca 727-21; Flight 410; near Cucuta, Colombia: The aircraft hit high ground in haze and mist after takeoff. All seven crew members and 132 passengers were killed
  40. 31 August 1988; Delta Air Lines 727-200; Flight 1141; Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, TX: The aircraft stalled and crashed on takeoff due to the flaps not being properly set by the flight crew. Two of the seven crew members and 12 of the 101 passengers were killed
  41. 21 October 1989; SAHSA 727-200; Flight 414; near Tegucigalpa, Honduras: The aircraft forced landed short of the airport an during approach in bad weather and broke up on high ground. Three of the five crew members and 129 of the 139 passengers were killed.
  42. 27 November 1989; Avianca 727-21; Flight 203; near Bogota, Colombia: The aircraft crashed after a bomb detonated during climb. All six crew and 101 passengers were killed.


  43. 3 December 1990; Northwest 727-200; N278US; flight 299; Detroit, MI: The aircraft was departing on a scheduled domestic flight from Detroit, MI to Memphis, TN. Pittsburgh, PA. At the same time, a DC9 (N3313L; flight 1482) which was departing on a scheduled domestic flight to Pittsburgh, PA, was taxiing in fog and strayed onto the active runway where it was hit by the departing 727. One of the four crew members and seven of the 40 passengers on the DC9 were killed. There were no fatalities on the 727, which carried eight crew members and 146 passengers.
    DC9 plane crashes

  44. 22 December 1992; Libyan Arab Airlines 727-200; Flight 1103; near Tripoli, Libya: The aircraft Collided with a MiG 23. There is no information on MiG crew or casualties, but all 10 crew members and 147 passengers on the 727 were killed.
  45. 19 May 1993; SAM Colombia 727-100; near Medillin, Colombia: The aircraft hit terrain after starting descent 44 miles (70 km) early. All 125 passengers and seven crew members were killed.
  46. 7 November 1996; ADC 727; 5N-BBG; flight 086; near Lagos, Nigeria: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Port Harcourt to Lagos, Nigeria. During descent, the crew executed an evasive maneuver in response to a TCAS warning triggered by an approaching aircraft. The crew lost control of the aircraft after it had rolled to an excessive bank angle and crashed into a lagoon near the village Imota about 40 miles (64 km) southeast of Lagos. All nine crew members and 132 passengers were killed.

  47. 19 March 1998; Ariana Afghan Airlines 727-200 near Charasyab, Afghanistan: The aircraft was on a flight from Sharjah to Kabul via Kandahar. The plane was descending for Kabul when it struck the 3000 feet (914 m) Sharki Baratayi mountain 300 feet (91 m) below the summit. All 45 passengers and crew members were killed.

  48. 20 April 1998; Air France 727-200; HC-BSU; flight AF422; near Bogota, Colombia: The aircraft was on a flight from Bogota to Quito, Ecuador. Three minues after takeoff, the plane crashed into the mountain at about 1600 feet (500m) above the airport elevation. Although it was an Air France flight, the aircraft was leased from TAME airlines of Ecuador and was flown by an Ecuadorian crew. All 43 passengers and 10 crew members were killed.

  49. 28 January 2002; TAME 727-100; HC-BLF; flight 120 near Tulcán, Ecuador: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Quito, Ecuador to near the border with Colombia. During descent into Tulcán, the aircraft crashed into the side of the Nevado el Cumbal Volcano at about the 14,700 foot level, about 1,400 feet (425 meters) below the summit. This volcano is in Colombian territory, The last aircraft transmission was a routine request for a landing clearance while the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 12,000 feet. During descent, the aircraft was traveling at about 50 knots higher than the recommended approach speed. All seven crew members and 87 passengers were killed.
    AME plane crashes

  50. 25 December 2003; Union des Transports Africains (UTA) 727-200; Flight 141; near Cotonou, Benin: The aircraft crashed shortly after takeoff on a scheduled flight from Cotonou, Benin to Kufrah, Libya. The aircraft lifted off, but struck localizer antennas and a small building just off the end of the runway. After striking the airport perimeter fence, the aircraft crashed along the shoreline. Five of the 10 crew members and 136 of the 153 passengers were killed. The pilot was among the survivors. About 15 of the dead were Bangladeshi peacekeepers returning from missions in Sierra Leone and Liberia.

  51. 9 January 2011; Iran Air 727-200; Flight 277; Urmia, Iran: The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Tehran to Urmia, Iran when it crashed near the destination airport. All 12 crew members and 65 of the 93 passengers were killed.
    Other crashes involving Iran Air

  52. 8 July 2011; Hewa Bora Airways 727; 9Q-COP; flight 952, Kisangani, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo): The aircraft was on a scheduled domestic flight from Kinshasa to Kisangani, DR Congo when it crashed after missing the runway during a landing attempt. The aircraft came to rest about 300 meters from the runway. At the time, there was heavy rain, limited visibility, and thunderstorms in the area. According to a report about the crash in the Aviation Herald, the runway had no published instrument landing procedures. The aircraft was destroyed in the crash. There were 74 fatalities among the six crew members and 112 passengers.

    2 June 2012; Allied Air; 727-200; 5N-BJN; flight 111; Accra, Ghana: The aircraft was on a cargo flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Accra, Ghana, and overran the runway after landing. The aircraft struck a minivan on a nearby road, killing all 10 of the occupants. None of the four crew members were killed.
    Because no airline passengers were killed, this is not counted as a fatal event as defined by AirSafe.com.

    20 December 2016; AeroSucre 727-200; HK-4544, flight LMI2933; near Puerto Carreño, Colombia:
    The aircraft was on a nonscheduled domestic cargo flight from Puerto Carreño to Bogotá, Colombia. Just after takeoff, the aircraft crossed a road that was about 100 meters beyond the end of the runway, apparently hitting at least one fence and dragging the rear part of the aircraft on the ground. The aircraft became airborne, but did not gain a significant amount of altitude. The aircraft was videotaped making a descending right turn just before it crashed and caught fire. The crash site was about 10 miles (16 km) from the airport. Five of the six crew members were killed.


Other Boeing Models
717, 727, 737, 747, 757, 767, 777, 787

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Boeing 727 plane crashes
http://www.airsafe.com/events/models/b727.htm -- Revised: 28 January 2017