The Boeing 727 Life and Times

A TWA-727, 1989 (Photo by Robert Sacchi)

Overview

In the mid-1950s Boeing recognized the need for a jetliner that could take off and land on runways shorter than 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) and fly more than one hour away from the nearest useable runway. Regulations required a twin-engine aircraft to be within an hour flying time from an airport. Boeing assembled a team of engineers to work on a jetliner that could fulfil these requirements. Boeing developed the Boeing 727, a three-engine jetliner.[i] The B-727 made its first flight on February 9, 1963 and entered service on February 1, 1964.[ii] The last commercial airline flight for the 727 was in January, 2019. Boeing sold 1,832 727s.[iii]

[i] Simpleflying.com, The Rise & Fall Of The Boeing 727 (simpleflying.com), last accessed 9/16/23.

[ii] Tri-Service Pocketbook, Commercial Transport Aircraft, Editor; Michael J.H. Taylor, ©1990 Tri-Press Service, Ltd.

[iii] CNN, “Boeing’s famous trijet 727 makes last commercial flight” by Jack Guy, January 22, 2019, Boeing’s 727 makes last commercial passenger flight | CNN, last accessed 9/14/23.

An American Airlines 727 at the San Antonio Airport terminal as another American Airlines 727 takes off in the background. Circa 1979. (Photo by Robert Sacchi)

Passenger Service

The inaugural flight was an Eastern Air Lines 727–100 that flew from Miami to Washington and continued to Philadelphia.[i] On August 16, 1965 a United Airlines Boeing 727–22 took off from La Guardia Airport, New York and crashed into Lake Michigan 30 miles (50 km) east of its destination, O’Hare International Airport (IAP), Chicago. All 30 people on board died in the crash. The Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) investigation couldn’t determine a probable cause for the crash.[ii] On November 8 an American Airlines 727–23 crashed on approach to Northern Kentucky Airport, Kentucky. This crash killed 58 of the 62 people on board.[iii] The CAB final report listed the probable cause as “the failure of the crew to properly monitor the altimeters during a visual approach into deteriorating visibility conditions.”[iv] Three days later a 727–22 crashed on approach to Salt Lake City International Airport, Utah, killing 43 of the 85 passengers. The six crew members survived.[v] Final CAB report gave the probable cause as, “the failure of the captain to take timely action to arrest an excessive descent rate during the landing approach.”[vi]

The three crashes caused many travel agents to warn customers not to fly 727s. Some companies prevented employees from flying on 727s. The 727 had a unique wing flap system that increased the wing size by 25%. This design gave the 727 more lift at lower speeds so it could avoid obstacles near the end of runways. The pilots of these ill-fated planes used a flap 40 setting. This increased drag and gave the planes a faster sink rate, which was difficult to recover from. Airlines retrained pilots and restricted the flap settings to a maximum of 30.[vii]

On February 4, 1966, an All Nippon Airways (ANA) 727–81 crashed into Tokyo bay while on approach to Tokyo-Haneda Airport. The crash killed all 133 on board. The probable cause of the crash wasn’t determined. As a result of this accident Japan required all passenger aircraft operating in Japan to have cockpit voice recorders.[viii] A Pan American World Airways 727 (Pan Am) crashed on approach to Berlin-Tegel Airport on November 15, 1966. The three crew members died in the crash, there were no passengers. The 727 crashed in East Berlin. Soviet authorities returned some of the 727’s components, but not the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, flight control systems, navigation, and communication equipment.[ix] The probable cause of the crash was the descent below its altitude clearance. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) could not determine what caused the descent.[x]

On July 19, 1967 a Piedmont Airlines 727–22 collided with a Lanseair Cessna 310 when the Cessna flew in its flightpath. The 79 people on the 727 and the three people on the Cessna died in the crash.[xi] On December 11 a bomb exploded on an American Airlines 727. The damage was minor and no one was injured. [xii] The Federal Bureau of Investigation arrested Earle T. Cook. Cook was convicted of planting the bomb to kill his wife, Jeanne Elizabeth. Judge Richard B. Austin sentenced Earle Cook to 20 years in prison on February 6, 1968.[xiii]

A Boeing 727–22 collided with a Cessna 337 near Denver, Colorado on June 12, 1968. The 727 and the Cessna landed safely.[xiv]

On July 1, 1968 a Northwest Orient Airlines 727 got hijacked to Cuba.[xv] This was the first of 34 727s hijacked to Cuba through 1972. Hijacking to Cuba became the butt of many jokes.[xvi] Three days later a federal prisoner tried to get free by telling a flight attendant there was another man onboard with a gun and dynamite. The claim was false and the two U.S. marshals subdued the prisoner.[xvii] The U.S. began a sky marshal program in 1968. Airports also added metal detectors.

On March 31, 1970 nine hijackers forced a Japan Air Lines (JAL) 727 on a domestic flight to fly to North Korea.[xviii] There were at least five other 727s hijacked outside the U.S. in 1970. Most were political, but there was one case of a man in Japan who wanted to commit suicide by authorities.[xix] On June 4, 1970 there was a new twist to airplane hijackings. A hijacker took control of a Trans World Airlines (TWA) 727 and demanded $100 million. At Dulles Airport a firetruck blocked the aircraft and police shot out the tires. The hijacker was overpowered. The hijacker and pilot were wounded.[xx]

On June 11, 1971 a hijacker forced his way onto a TWA 727 at O’Hare IAP, killing a passenger in the process. The other passengers were released. A Deputy U.S. Marshal boarded the plane through a cockpit window. The Marshal kept the hijacker at bay during the flight to JFK. Authorities arrested the hijacker when the plane landed.[xxi] On July 23, Richard A. Obergfell brought a stolen pistol on board a TWA 727 at La Guardia. The pistol apparently set off a metal detector but wasn’t found in a cursory examination. He held Idie Maria Concepcion and TWA driver Jake Mernick hostage. Obergfell demanded to be taken to Italy. The ordeal ended when FBI sharpshooter Kenneth Lovin fatally shot Obergfell.[xxii]

On July 30, 1971 a Japanese Air Self Defense Force F-86F collided with an ANA 727–281. The F-86 pilot, Sergeant Yoshimi Ichikawa, ejected safely but the 727 crashed, killing all 162 people onboard. This incident broke a record for the most people killed in an aviation incident. Japanese authorities arrested Sgt. Ichikawa for “professional negligence.”[xxiii] Japanese Defense Minister Keikichi Masuhara resigned because of the crash.[xxiv]

Sky Marshals arrested a woman on an American Airlines 727 on September 24, 1971. She had a handgun and explosives. Her plan was to hijack the jetliner and get Black Panther prisoners released.[xxv]

On November 24, 1971 a man identified as D. B. Cooper claimed he had a bomb while flying on a Seattle bound 727. Cooper demanded $200,000 ransom and four parachutes. Cooper chose a 727 because it had a rear door. Cooper opened the door over the state of Washington and jumped out. The 727 landed at Reno. No trace of Cooper has been found.[xxvi] Cooper’s action was romanticized in a movie, a mini-series, and in local reenactments.[xxvii]

On October 29, 1972 four hijackers murdered Stanley E. Hubbard, a ticket agent, and wounded Wyatt S. Wilkinson, a ramp worker, to get on a 727 in Houston. Three of the hijackers, William White Graham, Charles A. Tuller Jr. and his sons Bryce and Jonathan, were fugitives wanted for attempted bank robbery and the murder of Police Officer Israel Gonzales and Bud Candee, a bank manager.[xxviii]

On February 21, 1973 a Libyan Arab Airlines Boeing 727–224 enroute to Cairo went off course from a sandstorm and faulty equipment. An Israeli Air Force F-4 Phantom II shot it down. The co-pilot and four passengers survived. The other 108 people on board died in the crash or soon after.[xxix]

On October 18, 1973, Danièle Cravenne, hijacked an Air France 727–228 to protest the film “The Mad Adventures of Rabbi Jacob” because she believed it anti-Palestinian. Her spouse Georges Cravenne was promoting the film. Authorities stormed the plane and shot her dead after she released the passengers.[xxx]

On July 24, 1974 Eduardo Martinez Rusinque hijacked an Avianca 727 in Columbia. Rusinque hijacked a plane to Cuba in 1969. He demanded $2 million and the release of political prisoners. Authorities stormed the plane and killed Rusinque.[xxxi]

On September 15 a hijacker on an Air Vietnam 727–121C demanded to fly to Hanoi. The crew attempted to land at Tan Son Nhat International Airport, Saigon. The aircraft went out of control on final and crashed. All 75 people onboard died in the crash and fire.[xxxii]

On January 3, 1975 a man decided to hijack an airplane to get drug money. He entered a National Airlines 727 at Pensacola Regional Airport, Florida. The only people on board were three cleaners. One of the cleaners overpowered the hijacker.[xxxiii]

An Eastern Air Lines 727–225 crashed at JFK on June 24 killing 113 of the 124 people on board. The probable cause was the crew relying on visuals rather than instruments under severe weather conditions. The NTSB report mentioned the weather conditions were probably too severe for a safe landing.[xxxiv] On August 7 windshear caused a Continental Air Lines 727–224 crash. There were no fatalities. The NTSB report pointed out the 727 couldn’t overcome the descend rate despite being at near or maximum life capability throughout the ordeal.[xxxv] Windshear caused another 727 crash on November 12, there was one serious injury but no fatalities.[xxxvi]

On September 10, 1976, five hijackers took over a TWA 727, flying from La Guardia, New York to Chicago-O-Hare fly. The 727 flew to Montreal, Canada where it made a refueling stop. The 727 continued to Gander, then to Keflavik, Iceland. The hijackers demanded a Boeing 707 so they could drop pamphlets regarding Croatian independence over London and Paris. After refueling, the plane flew to Paris and the hijackers surrendered.[xxxvii]

On June 3, 1977, in windshear conditions, a Continental Air Lines 727–224 Advanced struck powerlines and two utility poles after takeoff. The aircraft landed safely. The NTSB report concluded the obstacles probably could have been avoided had the crew used full aerodynamic capability.[xxxviii]

Four hijackers took over an LADECO flight after it took off from Arica, Chile on July 5, 1977. The hijackers demanded the release of two political prisoners in Chile. The hijackers surrendered in Lima, Peru and were put under the protection of the Venezuelan Embassy in Lima.[xxxix]

On September 25, 1978, Pacific Southwest Airlines (PSA) 727–214 collided with a Cessna 172 while on approach to San Diego International Airport, California. All 135 people on the 727 and both men on the Cessna died in the crash, as did seven people on the ground.[xl] This incident caused a furor because many immediately assumed the Cessna was to blame for the collision. The Cessna pilot was training for instrument approach and was wearing a blind flying hood. This resulted in some irate articles and commentaries. The reality was the Cessa pilot was wearing a hood but the instructor was not. This made no difference since the 727 was behind and above the Cessna.

On January 12, 1979 three hijackers took control of a Tunis Air 727 and demanded the release of trade unionist Habib Achour. The hijackers surrendered when the 727 landed in Tripoli, Libya.[xli]

On April 4, a TWA 727–31 flying from New York to Minneapolis-St. Paul went into an uncontrolled maneuver. It rolled twice and the number 7 slat was torn from the aircraft. It took 63 seconds for the flight crew to regain control of the aircraft at 5,000 feet. The 727 had substantial damage but landed safely in Detroit.[xlii]

On November 21, 1980 Continental Air Lines 727–92C, operated by Air Micronesia, crashed, and burned. The 727 was destroyed but all 73 occupants safely evacuated the plane in less than a minute.[xliii]

On July 9, 1982 windshear caused the crash of a Pan Am 727–235 in New Orleans. The crash killed all 145 people on board and eight people on the ground. The NTSB report cited “limited capability of current ground based low level windshear detection technology” as a contributing cause.[xliv]

On January 7, 1983 two mechanics, instead of a qualified flight crew, lost control of an Iran Air 727–86 during a high-speed taxi check. The resulting crash damaged the 727 beyond repair. The mechanics survived.[xlv]

On November 11 the Number 3 tire on an Eastern Airlines 727–225 exploded in flight. The crew was unable to lower the right landing gear. The 727 suffered substantial damage on landing but all 159 people on board survived.[xlvi]

On May 31, 1984 windshear caused a United Airlines 727–222 to strike an ILS Localizer antenna. The crew made an emergency landing. The plane had substantial damage but it landed safely with the 105 people on board.[xlvii]

A passenger exploded a stick of dynamite in a lavatory on a Lloyd Aéreo Boliviano 727–2K3 on January 23, 1985. The passenger with the dynamite was the only fatality. The explosion substantially damaged the plane, CP-1276, landed safely and was eventually repaired.[xlviii]

A Black September terrorist struck a Royal Jordanian Airlines 727–2D3 with a rocket as the plane was preparing for takeoff on April 4. The rocket didn’t explode and the 727 returned to the terminal with minor damage and all 75 on board safe. The terrorist ran into a waiting car and escaped.[xlix]

On June 12 Shiite terrorists hijacked an Alia Royal Jordian Airlines 727–2D3 soon after it took off from Beirut. The terrorists demanded the plane fly to Tunis. The plane didn’t have the fuel to fly to Tunis. It landed in Palermo, Italy, then flew back to Beirut. The terrorists released the hostages and blew up the plane.[l]

Two days later Hezbollah terrorists hijacked a TWA 727–231 on a flight from Athens to Rome. The next day Mohammed Ali Hammadi and other terrorists tortured and murdered Petty Officer Second Class Robert Dean Stethem. The terrorists released the last of the hostages in Damascus, Syria on June 30, 1985.[li]

On October 30 a man checked his wife’s baggage curb side at Robert Mueller Municipal Airport, TX. His wife boarded the plane while he stayed behind. The bomb exploded after the Boeing 727 landed in Dallas/Fort Worth. The explosion caused minor damage. The man was arrested and charged with putting a bomb and exploding a bomb on an aircraft.[lii]

The worst 727 accident occurred on March 31, 1986. A tire was serviced with air, not nitrogen. This caused a chemical explosion. The Mexicana de Aviación 727–264 crashed into a mountain in the Sierra Madre, killing all 167 on board.[liii]

On April 2, Abu Nidal’s terrorist organization placed a bomb under the seat of a TWA 727–231. The bomb exploded over Greece, ejecting four passengers. The four murdered passengers were; Alberto Ospino, Demetra Stylian, 52, her daughter, Maria Klug, 25, and granddaughter Demetra, 18 months.[liv]

On November 27, 1989 Dandeny Munoz-Mosquera, a Medellin drug cartel member, placed a bomb aboard an Avianca 727–21 because he believed two informers were on the flight. The bomb killed all 107 people on board the aircraft.[lv] Munoz-Mosquera was found guilty in connection to the bombing and other heinous crimes in a U.S. court and received 10 consecutive life sentences plus 45 years in 1994.

A Libyan Air Force MiG-23 collided mid-air with a Libyan Arab Airlines 727–2L5 on December 22, 1992. All on board the 727 perished in the subsequent crash. The MiG-23 crew ejected safely.[lvi]

Rebel forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo shot down a Lignes Aeriennes Congolaises 727–30 with a 9K32 Strela-2 killing all 41 on board on October 10, 1998.[lvii]

In October 2001 U.S. bombing raids on the Kabul Airport destroyed two Ariana Afghan Airlines 727s on the ground.[lviii]

The last fatal passenger service 727 crash happened in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on July 8, 2011. It was Hewa Bora Airways flight 952 on a domestic flight. The 727–22 (WL) undershot the runway in a heavy rain with limited visibility and killed 77 of the 115 people on board. The aircraft, 9Q-COP, had been in service for 45 years and 10 months.[lix]

[i] Simpleflying.com, The Rise & Fall Of The Boeing 727 (simpleflying.com), last accessed 9/16/23.

[ii] CAB Investigation Report File №1–0030, AAR67-AA.pdf (erau.edu), last accessed 9/16/2023.

[iii] Aviation-Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–23 N1996 Cincinnati-Greater Cincinnati, OH (aviation-safety.net), last accessed, 9/16/23.

[iv] Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report, SA-387, File №1–00331, Adopted September 28, 1966, Released, October 7, 1966.

[v] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–22 N7030U Salt Lake City International Airport, UT (SLC) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/16/23.

[vi] Civil Aeronautics Board Aircraft Accident Report, SA-388, File №1–0032, Adopted June 3, 1966, Released June 7, 1966.

[vii] Simpleflying.com, The Rise & Fall Of The Boeing 727 (simpleflying.com), last accessed 9/16/23.

[viii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–81 JA8302 Tokyo-Haneda Airport (HND) [Tokyo Bay] (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/17/23.

[ix] Aviation Sefety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–21 N317PA Dallgow (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/17/23.

[x] NTSB PB1773397, Aircraft Accident report. Pan American World Airways, Inc. Boeing 727 N317PA Near Berlin, Germany, November 15, 1966, AAR68-AH.pdf (erau.edu), last accessed 9/17/23.

[xi] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–22 N68650 Hendersonville, NC (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/17/23.

[xii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–23 registration unknown Alamosa, CO (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/17/23.

[xiii] Chicago Tribune, “50 years ago, a Naperville executive plotted to murder his wife — and almost blew up a plane” by Colleen Connolly, last updated February 6, 2018, 50 years ago, a Naperville executive plotted to murder his wife — and almost blew up a plane (chicagotribune.com), last accessed 9/17/23.

[xiv] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–22 N7086U Denver, CO (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/17/23.

[xv] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–51 N475US Havana-José Martí International Airport (HAV) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/17/23.

[xvi] The 1970 movie, “The Out of Towners”, about luckless travelers had a scene where a man announced the plane was going to Havana, Cuba.

[xvii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727 registration unknown Las Vegas-McCarran International Airport, NV (LAS) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/17/23.

[xviii] Aviation-Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–89 JA8315 Pyongyang-Sunan Aiport (FNJ) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/18/23.

[xix] Aviation Safety.net. ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–81 JA8305 Hamamatsu AFB (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/19/23.

[xx] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–231 N94314 Washington-Dulles International Airport, DC (IAD) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/19/23.

[xxi] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727 registration unknown New York-John F. Kennedy International Airport, NY (JFK) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/19/23.

[xxii] New York Times, “Hijacker Killed by F.B.I. Agent at Kennedy” by Robert D. McFadden, July 24, 1971, Hijacker Killed by F.B.I. Agent at Kennedy — The New York Times (nytimes.com), last accessed 9/21/23.

[xxiii] The New York Times, “162 Die in Japan in Worst Air Crash on Record”, July 31, 1971, 162 Die in Japan in Worst Air Crash on Record — The New York Times (nytimes.com), last accessed 9/23/23.

[xxiv] The New York Times, “Japanese Replace Defense Minister As Result of Crash”, August 2, 1971, last accessed 9/23/23.

[xxv] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727 registration unknown Detroit-Metropolitan Wayne County Airport, MI (DTW) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/23/23.

[xxvi] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–51 N467US Seattle/Tacoma International Airport, WA (SEA) (aviation-safety.net), Last accessed 9/24/23.

[xxvii] “The Pursuit of D.B. Cooper” (1981) & “D.B. Cooper: Where Are You?!” (2022)

[xxviii] New York Times, “4 Kill Texas Airline Aide And Hijack a Jet to Cuba” by Paul L. Montgomery, October 30, 1972, https://www.nytimes.com/1972/10/30/archives/4-kill-texas-airline-aide-and-hijack-a-jet-to-cuba-airline-aide.html?auth=login-google1tap&login=google1tap, last accessed 9/18/23. Boundary Stones, “From Crystal City to Cuba: The Tullers’ International Crime Spree” by Callum Cleary, February 7, 2018, https://boundarystones.weta.org/2018/02/07/crystal-city-cuba-tullers-international-crime-spree, last accessed 9/18/23.

[xxix] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–224 5A-DAH Isma’iliya (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/24/23.

[xxx] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–228 F-BOJC Marseille-Marignane Airport (MRS) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/26/23.

[xxxi] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–24C HK-1271 Cali Airport (CLO) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/25/23.

[xxxii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–121C XV-NJC Phan Rang Air Base (PHA) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/25/23.

[xxxiii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727 registration unknown Pensacola Regional Airport, FL (PNS) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/25/23.

[xxxiv] NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, Eastern Air Lines, Inc. Boeing727–225, N8845E, AAR76–08.pdf (erau.edu), last accessed 9/30/23.

[xxxv] NTSB Aircraft Accident Report — Continental Air Lines, Inc Boeing 727–224, N88777, 19750807–0_B722_N88777.pdf (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 9/30/23.

[xxxvi] NTSB, Aircraft Accident Report, Eastern Air Lines, Inc., Bowing 727–225, N8838E, Raleigh, North Carolina, ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR8306.pdf, last accessed 9/30/23.

[xxxvii] Nieuwsblad van Noorden, “Kapers van Boeing worden snel berecht”, 9/13/1976, Nieuwsblad van het Noorden » 13 sep 1976 — Pag. 2 | Delpher, last accessed 9/30/23.

[xxxviii] NTSB, Aircraft Accident Report — Continental Air Lines, inc. Boeing 727–224, N32725, Tucson, Arizona, AAR7809.pdf (ntsb.gov), last accessed 9/30/23.

[xxxix] British Pathe, “Peru: Chilean Aircraft Hijackers Surrender to Police After Requesting Political Asylum in Venezuela. (1977)”, PERU: CHILEAN AIRCRAFT HIJACKERS SURRENDER TO POLICE AFTER REQUESTING POLITICAL ASYLUM IN VENEZUELA. — British Pathé (britishpathe.com), last accessed 10/1/23.

[xl] NTSB, Aircraft Accident Report Pacific Southwest Airlines, Inc. B-727, N544PS and Gibbs Flite Center, Inc., Cessna 172, N7711G, AAR79–05.pdf (erau.edu)last accessed 10/1/23.

[xli] Aviation Safery.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–2H3 registration unknown Tripoli (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/1/23.

[xlii] NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, Trans World Airlines, Inc., Boeing 727–31, N840TW, AAR81–08.pdf (erau.edu), last accessed 10/2/23.

[xliii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–92C N18479 Yap Airport, Western Caroline Islands (YAP) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/4/23.

[xliv] NTSB Aircraft Accident Report, Pan American World Airways, Inc., Clipper 759, Boeing 727–235, N4737, libraryonline.erau.edu/online-full-text/ntsb/aircraft-accident-reports/AAR83–02.pdf, last accessed 10/4/23.

[xlv] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–86 EP-IRA Tehran-Mehrabad Airport (THR) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/4/23.

[xlvi] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–225 N812EA Miami International Airport, FL (MIA) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/5/23.

[xlvii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–222 N7640U Denver-Stapleton International Airport, CO (DEN) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/5/23.

[xlviii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–2K3 CP-1276 Santa Cruz (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/7/23.

[xlix] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–2D3 Advanced registration unknown Athens-Ellinikon International Airport (ATH) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/7/23.

[l] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–2D3 JY-AFW Beirut International Airport (BEY) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/7/23.

[li] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–231 N64339 Beirut International Airport (BEY) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/11/23.

[lii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727 registration unknown Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, TX (DFW) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/12/23.

[liii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–264 XA-MEM Las Mesas (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/12/23.

[liv] The New York Times, “4 Killed as Bomb Rips TWA Plane on Way to Athens”, April 3, 1986, 4 KILLED AS BOMB RIPS T.W.A. PLANE ON WAY TO ATHENS — The New York Times (archive.org), last accessed 10/12/23.

[lv] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–21 HK-1803 Bogotá-Eldorado Airport (BOG) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/13/23.

[lvi] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–2L5 5A-DIA Tripoli International Airport (TIP) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/13/23.

[lvii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–30 9Q-CSG Kindu Airport (KND) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/15/23.

[lviii] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–113C YA-FAU Kabul Airport (KBL) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/14/23.

[lix] Aviation Safety.net, ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727–22 (WL) 9Q-COP Kisangani-Bangoka International Airport (FKI) (aviation-safety.net), last accessed 10/15/23.

An American Airlines 727 lands at San Antonio International Airport. Circa 1979. (Photo by Robert Sacchi)

Boeing 727–200

PO2 Robert Dean Stethem, murdered by Hezbollah terrorists on TWA847 on June 15, 1985.

Epilogue

FAA regulations played a large part in making Boeing 727 such a commercially successful jetliner. Changes in these regulations contributed to ending the 727’s popularity with airlines. The FAA ended the requirement for three cabin crew members and for two engine airliners to always be within an hour of an airport. Fuel costs made more fuel-efficient aircraft more attractive to airlines. People who lived by airports complained about engine noise. This made quieter engines more desirable.

Former Boeing CEO David L. Calhoun announced plans to develop a modern version of the 727. Time will tell if these plans result in another successful version of the Boeing 727.[i]

[i] Aviation Future, “IT’S BACK! Boeing Just Announced The Return Of The Boeing 727!”, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cEtccJ7_EI, last accessed 4/19/26.

© 2023 Robert Sacchi

A 727 preparing to land at National Airport, Virginia, 1989. (Photo by Robert Sacchi)

Originally published at https://hubpages.com on October 6, 2025.