Casualties unknown

1984-01-07: Boeing 727-223 (N876AA) — Alaska Airlines Inc — Seattle, WA

Seattle, WA, US

On January 7, 1984, a Boeing 727-223 (registration N876AA) operated by Alaska Airlines Inc was involved in an aviation accident near Seattle, WA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Wingtip contact during final approach alignment due to lateral displacement, despite the navigation system being within operational tolerance. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 10 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archivePrimary reportUpdated 1781061362Data APIEditorial standards
Aircraft registered N876AA
Aircraft registered N876AA. Photo: Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A captain corrected left displacement on final approach to runway 34 using right rudder, resulting in minor wingtip contact that was not felt in the cockpit.

What happened

The captain reported that upon establishing visual contact with the runway, the aircraft was displaced slightly to the left of the centerline. To correct this deviation, the pilot applied right rudder input to guide the aircraft back toward the runway centerline. During this maneuver, wingtip contact occurred; however, the impact was neither heard nor felt within the cockpit environment.

The investigation

Following the incident, a flight and ground check of the navigation system was conducted. The inspection confirmed that the instrument landing system operations were functioning within established tolerances. Additionally, several concurrent reports indicated that other arriving aircraft experienced similar leftward displacement while executing the runway 34 ILS approach.

Probable cause

Wingtip contact during final approach alignment due to lateral displacement, despite the navigation system being within operational tolerance.

Investigation report by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive. Original record: https://carol.ntsb.gov/event/20001214X38673. This page is a structured re-presentation; facts and quotes are in the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), United States.