On October 19, 2021, a corporate McDonnell Douglas MD-87, registered as N987AK, crashed and caught fire during take-off, 1,600 feet (500 m) from Houston Executive Airport.[1] Those on board, 18 passengers and three crew members, were safely evacuated out of the aircraft. The aircraft was damaged beyond economical repair and was subsequently written-off.[2]
![]() Aerial view of the wreckage | |
Occurrence | |
---|---|
Date | October 19, 2021 |
Summary | Runway excursion. Under investigation |
Site | Houston Executive Airport, Brookshire, Texas, United States of America 29.792°N 95.898°W / 29.792; -95.898 |
Aircraft | |
Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-87 |
Operator | 987 Investments LLC |
Registration | N987AK |
Flight origin | Houston Executive Airport - (TME/KTME) |
Destination | Logan International Airport - (BOS/KBOS) |
Passengers | 18 |
Crew | 3 |
Fatalities | 0 |
Injuries | 2 |
Survivors | 21 |
The aircraft was a 33-year-old McDonnell Douglas MD-87, registered as N987AK. It was originally delivered to Finnair in 1988 as OH-LMB. Sold to Aeroméxico in 2000 as N204AM, it then passed through several other airlines before entering into service in a corporate configuration with 987 Investments LLC, as N987AK, in 2015.[2]
The aircraft was on a non-scheduled charter flight from Brookshire, Texas, to Boston, Massachusetts, as the passengers were destined to see the Houston Astros play in Boston vs the Boston Red Sox baseball team in the 2021 American League Championship Series.[3] The aircraft was taking off at 10:00 a.m. from Runway 36 when it overshot the runway, ran into a fence and a powerline before coming to a halt, 500 meters (1,600 ft; 550 yd) from the runway. It immediately caught fire. All 21 occupants onboard escaped from the burning aircraft safely with only two known injuries, both of which were minor.[4][5] Emergency services took action with fire retardants and successfully controlled the flames from the wreckage.[6] The aircraft burned down with only the tail-section left intact.[7]
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the accident. The fire-damaged flight data recorders were retrieved from the wreckage of N987AK.[8] In November, the NTSB revealed that both the aircraft's elevators were found to be jammed in the down position. A similar condition had been found in the crash of Ameristar Charters Flight 9363, an MD-83, four years earlier.[9]
Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 2020s | |
---|---|
2020 |
|
2021 |
|
2022 |
|
See also: Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States by state |