Airline History Museum Loses ‘Derelict 727′ to Scrapper

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 05:32 PM ET

Verified

The 1978 Boeing 727, painted in American Airlines livery and carrying the number N874AA, was signed over to the Airline History Museum in 2016. King County International Airport–Boeing Field

Key Takeaways:

A 1978 Boeing 727 (N874AA), intended for restoration by the Airline History Museum (AHM), was demolished at King County International Airport (KBFI) after being declared a nuisance by a court.
King County stated the demolition was due to approximately $17,000 in unpaid parking rent since 2018 and the AHM's failure to remove or make the aircraft airworthy following a 2020 court order.
The AHM refutes the county's claims, alleging King County obstructed their efforts to pay rent and prepare the aircraft for relocation by rejecting valid FAA documents and demanding prohibitive insurance.
A last-minute subpoena from the AHM to prevent demolition was deemed "too little, too late" by the county, as it did not negate the existing court order for the aircraft's removal.

See a mistake? Contact us.

It’s said that one person’s treasure is another person’s trash. This played out last week at King County International Airport (KBFI) in Seattle, where the county oversaw the demolition of what it describes in a media release as a “derelict 727.” According to the release, “A court action last year declared the aircraft a nuisance and allows King County to remove the airplane.”

The 1978 Boeing 727, painted in American Airlines livery and carrying the number N874AA, belonged to the Museum of Flight at KBFI until 2016, when it was signed over to the Airline History Museum (AHM) in Kansas City, Missouri.