Wikipedia

The Boeing 727 is a american narrow-body jetliner that was developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, after the heavier 707 quad-jet was introduced in 1958, Boeing addressed the demand for shorter flight lengths from smaller airports. On December 5, 1960, the 727 was launched with 40 orders each from United Airlines and Eastern Air Lines. The first 727-100 rolled out on November 27, 1962, first flew on February 9, 1963, and entered service with Eastern on February 1, 1964. The only trijet aircraft to be produced by Boeing, the 727 is powered by Pratt & Whitney JT8D low-bypass turbofans below a T-tail, one on each side of the rear fuselage and a center one fed through an S-duct. It shares its six-abreast upper fuselage cross-section and cockpit with the 707. The 133 ft (40.5 m) long 727-100 typically carries 106 passengers in two classes over 2,250 nautical miles [nmi] (4,170 km; 2,590 mi), or 129 in a single class. Launched in 1965, the stretched 727-200 flew in July 1967 and entered service with Northeast Airlines that December. The 20 ft (6.1 m) longer variant typically carries 134 passengers in two classes over 2,550 nmi (4,720 km; 2,930 mi), or 155 in a single class. Besides the airliner accommodation, a freighter and a Quick Change convertible version were offered. The 727 was used for many domestic flights and on many international flights within its range. Airport noise regulations have led to hush kit installations. Its last commercial passenger flight was in January 2019. It was succeeded by the 757-200 and larger variants of the 737. As of February 2022, a total of 38 Boeing 727s were in commercial service. There have been 118 fatal incidents involving the Boeing 727.[citation needed] Production ended in September 1984 with 1,832 having been built.

2012 Boeing 727 crash experiment

On April 27, 2012, a multinational team of television studios staged an airplane crash near Mexicali, Mexico. An unmanned Boeing 727-200, fitted with numerous cameras, crash test dummies and other scientific instruments, was flown into the ground. The exercise was filmed for television. The aircraft used was a Boeing 727-200 purchased by the television production companies, registration XB-MNP (formerly N293AS). The site in Mexico was chosen because authorities in the United States would not allow the test to take place.
The aircraft's original owner was Singapore Airlines. The last United-States-based owner was Broken Wing LLC of Webster Groves, Missouri, who then exported it and transferred it to a Mexican production company. Broken Wing is also the company that planned and executed the experiment. The aircraft had been leased to Bob Dole's 1996 presidential election campaign by the then-owner AvAtlantic. Several federal permits by the Mexican government were needed before the remote controlled flight and crash could be performed. In addition, the Mexican authorities stipulated that the aircraft had to be flown by humans during part of the flight, since it would be flying over a populated area.
The flight was piloted by captain Jim Bob Slocum, then controlled remotely by Chip Shanle, a former United States Navy pilot who works at American Airlines.
The airplane took off from General Rodolfo Sánchez Taboada International Airport in Mexicali, with three flight crew and three support jumpers, as well as a number of crash dummies, and with a chase plane Cessna Skymaster following close behind. As the flight progressed towards the Sonoran Desert of Baja California in Mexico, its occupants parachuted to safety via the 727's ventral airstair. Slocum was the last one to leave the jet, three minutes before impact. Shanle then flew the jetliner by remote control, from the chase plane.
The jetliner hit the ground at 140 miles per hour (120 kn; 230 km/h), with a descent rate of 1,500 feet per minute (460 m/min).Upon impact, the Boeing 727 broke up into several sections, the landing gear collapsing with the cockpit being torn off the fuselage.
The zone of the crash had been cordoned off by security teams, as well as Mexican police and military, for the safety of the public.