In recent years, the 737 MAX has made headlines for being among the most dangerous aircraft ever. However, it is not the most dangerous 737 variant, the Boeing 737-200 is.
For all intents and purposes, the Boeing 737-200 is an air icon. If you flew on a 737 in the late 1960’s or early 1970’s, you probably flew on a -200, it is arguably the reason why the subsequent variants of the 737 are still flying today!
Yet, its safety record is abysmal to say the least, and history has not forgotten it…
Pre-Boeing 737-200
The first jet aircraft appeared in the 1950’s, starting with the de Havilland Comet, BAC 1-11, DC-8, 707 and Convair 990. However, all of these (except the BAC 1-11) were long range airliners.
By the mid-1960’s, the BAC 1-11 had become one of the most common airliners in the world, being used by airlines of all sizes, both in Europe and in North America.
The BAC 1-11 was so successful because it occupied a niche that no other jet of the era did: short haul jet travel. Due to this, they had a monopoly on the niche, with all regional and national airlines needing the BAC 1-11.
With this, other aircraft manufacturers took notice. In 1965, McDonnell Douglas released the DC-9. This was the first US-produced aircraft that could match, and even beat, the BAC 1-11. As such, it sold very well in the US.
At the time, McDonnell Douglas’s biggest civil aviation rival was Boeing. As their biggest competitor, Boeing didn’t like seeing McDonnell Douglas beat them. As such, they began to look at a potential short haul airliner of their own!
Eventually, this aircraft would be released as the Boeing 737, with the first variant of the aircraft being called the Boeing 737-100. This first flew in April 1967, and entered service in February 1968.
Development
Lufthansa had been the 737-100’s launch customer, with many US airlines following in short succession. The -100 was exactly what many of these airlines wanted- a cheaper (to operate) and large(r), short haul aircraft.
As such, it initially sold quite well. Once the -100 had entered service, many airlines loved it. Despite this love, the -100 was slow and had the possibility to seat a lot more if the fuselage was extended by a few feet.
Both the airlines and Boeing was aware of this, and work had been carried out even prior to the -100’s release to fit this. However, work was slow, as there were several issues to do with extending the aircraft.
For starters, extending the fuselage caused weight issues, mostly the fact that the added weight slowed down the aircraft immensely. This also required a much longer runway to take off from.
Boeing solved this with adding newer, more powerful and fuel efficient engines. However, this required the fuel intakes to be completely redesigned, something that would take several months to implement.
At the same time, Boeing wanted to make the aircraft, that would become the Boeing 737-200, more aerodynamic. This would see certain aspects of the wing be altered, both adding and shaving off weight.
Boeing would also add automatic wheel brakes, and redesign the internal fuel tanks to carry more fuel. By 1965, the 737-100 was joined by the 737-200, its much larger and faster son.
Service
The -200 has had an extremely long and detailed service history, acting in just about every role it is physically able to do. This service history includes the present day (as of the time of writing), albeit in a reduced role.
Commercial
The -200 was designed as a commercial jet. As such, the vast majority of -200s were commercial airlines operating for hundreds of different airlines at different times, including Air Florida, American West and Western Airlines.
United Airlines served as the first customer of the -200, ordering them in 1965 and receiving their first aircraft in April 1967. Once those orders had been fulfilled, Boeing delivered the aircraft to many other major airlines.
The first foreign customer of the -200 was Japan’s All Nippon Airways. They’d acquired the aircraft in the hopes of using them on short haul and domestic routes, mostly in Japan, but ended up using some on international flights too.
ANA would not be the last foreign operator of the 737-200, however. Several other Asian airlines would see ANA’s -200 fleet and decided that they too wanted the -200, and as such, ordered it.
Boeing would deliver the last production Boeing 737-200 in August 1988. This -200 would be delivered to Chinese airline Xiamen Airlines (now known as XiamenAir).
Xiamen would use these aircraft until 2008/2009, when the Great Recession forced many airlines to retire their oldest aircraft. From here, it would be stored before later being bought and flown in other capacities.
Charter
The 1980’s and 1990’s saw the rise in the original charter airlines, such as Spantax, Reliant Air and TUI. This coincided with many airlines getting rid of their -200 fleet.
In order to cut costs, its was cheaper to buy older jets and operate them for several years. Despite having increased fuel costs compared to newer jets, they often came with a much lower price tag.
Several of these early charter airlines evaluated the Boeing 737-200 as an aircraft for their fleet. A few of them would buy a few -200s and try to make it work, however, poor management resulted in the airlines going bankrupt.
For the most part, they’d abstain from buying the -200. Even despite its cheap price and above average specs, many refused to buy it due to the fact that many people, including frequent flyers, viewed it as dangerous.
Eventually, the -200 became too old for any charter airline to operate (mostly due to its high fuel consumption compared to other aircraft). As such, subsequent charter airlines have never really considered the -200.
Cargo
Prior to the -200, most cargo aircraft were larger piston and turboprop-powered aircraft left over from WWII, including the Boeing 377, Douglas DC-3 and Lockheed Constellation.
In the early 1970’s, many cargo airlines saw the need for a much smaller, yet fuel efficient (for the time) aircraft that could fly smaller cargo on shorter haul routes. For the time, the DC-9 was more fuel inefficient than the 737.
As such, many cargo airlines began demanding a cargo variant of the Boeing 737-200. As such, Boeing obliged, releasing the 737-200C (with “C” standing for “Combi”).
These -200s were designed to be converted between passenger and cargo aircraft extremely quickly. This made them very popular with both cargo and combi airlines (who flew passengers in the peak times and cargo in the off-season).
Despite the success of the Boeing 737-200C, many combi airlines complained that it still took way too long to convert these aircraft. As such, Boeing released the Boeing 737-200QC (standing for “Quick change”).
In fact, the -200 was so good in this role, that it didn’t actually need to be replaced. As such, there are around 50 -200s still operating as cargo aircraft, with many of them operating in Canada and Europe!
Military
In the early 1970’s, the USAF was searching for a new air navigation trainer to replace their jet-powered Convair T-29 (militarized CV-240) fleet. As such, US aircraft manufacturers offered converted short haul airliners for this purpose.
Boeing offered the 737-200, whilst their archrival McDonnell Douglas offered their DC-9. After much debate and consideration, the -200 was chosen in favor of the DC-9.
The -200 would enter USAF service in March 1973 as the T-43 navigation trainer (often nicknamed the “Gator” by trainees and instructors). Due to the -200/T-43’s extended range, it was able to carry out more rigorous tests.
From this, the T-43 was able to produce a better caliber of navigators, who would go on to form the backbone of the USAF air fleet for much of the rest of the Cold War, and even (somewhat) into the modern day.
Six T-43s were converted into flying offices for high ranking USAF officers, much in the same way that the C-40 Clipper acts today. These aircraft would be designated as CT-43s and would serve from the mid-1980’s to 2001.
One T-43 would also be converted into a radar testbed. This T-43 would operate with a new radar, that if successful, would be implemented on other aircraft. However, much of the information about this aircraft is still highly classified.
Specifications
As the first variant on the original 737-100, the -200 shares a lot in common with the -100. The -200 itself serves as the basis of many subsequent 737 variants, and as such, shares much in common with them.
For its time, its specs were among the most competitive of the era, often matching or beating the competition’s specs, all for slightly lower net operating operating costs.
| Specifications | Boeing 737-200 |
|---|---|
| Length | 100 ft 2 in (30.53 m) |
| Wingspan | 93 ft (28 m) |
| Height | 37 ft (11 m) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Seats | 102 – 115 |
| Cruise Speed | 0.82 Mach (876 km/h; 629 mph; 473 kn) |
| Range | 2,600 nmi (1,841mph; 4,800 km) |
| Service Ceiling | 37,000 ft (11,300 m) |
| MTOW | 128,100 lb (58,100 kg) |
How Safe Was The Boeing 737-200?
With a moniker like “Boeing’s most dangerous jet aircraft” or “The most dangerous 737” chances are that the Boeing 737-200 wasn’t particularly safe. And indeed, it is one of the most dangerous aircraft to have ever flown!
As of the time of writing, the Boeing 737-200 has been involved in a whopping 68 incidents. As if this wasn’t bad enough, the vast majority of them have been crashes, fatal ones at that.
In total, these crashes have resulted in 2910 fatalities, and countless more injuries. For the most part, these injuries have been non-life threatening, however, a few have resulted in long-term health consequences.
For the most part, these crashes were caused by a common fault present in many 1950’s/60’s-era aircraft: ice. As you go higher in the atmosphere, it becomes colder, with there being much more water vapor in the air.
These jets were made of metal, which is becomes cold quite easily. As they flew higher, these new jet aircraft would generate a thin layer of ice on certain parts of the fuselage, including the wings.
However, the wings aren’t just used for lift, they also have sensors on them too, used to help the pilot land. When they were frozen over, they would give false readings to the captain.
Once they tried to land, going off the readings they had, the aircraft would either fall short of the runway and crash, or overshoot the runway, and crash. Occasionally, they would also land too fast/slow as well.
However, subsequent Boeing modifications have (mostly) removed this issue.
How Successful Was The Boeing 737-200?
After reading about the -200’s abysmal safety record, you’d probably believe that the -200 sold well initially, but fizzled out quite quite right? No. In fact, Boeing sold and delivered 1,114 copies of the -200.
This may seem like a lot, but it really isn’t in reality. Subsequent variants of the 737, such as the 737-800 and 737 MAX sold better. The 737-800 sold and delivered 4,989 copies, whilst the 737 MAX has sold 4,489 copies.
This is far more than the previous (and first) variant of the 737: the 737-100. Despite being offered for much longer than the 737-200, and at a better price, the 737-200 had the better specs that made it more attractive to airlines.
Many of the 1,114 copies were in service for more than 40 years, something that isn’t particularly common for any aircraft, jet or otherwise. Around 50 of these aircraft are still in use today.
After their service as airliners had ended, many became cargo freighters. Many early charter airlines also considered (and briefly used) the -200 as well.
The aircraft was so good in fact, that the US military bought it. Its role was as a trainer paramount, training both the USAF’s future navigators and future multi-engine aircraft pilots.
If that’s not a successful aircraft, I don’t know what is!
Legacy
Partly due to its dangerous nature, the Boeing 737-200 left a rather large impact on the aviation industry as a whole.
Boeing
For the most part, the 737-200 was a gold mine for Boeing. The success of the -200 gave Boeing a large influx of cash that it could use to develop new jets, and redesign many of its existing ones.
Many later variants of the Boeing 707 were funded using a lot of the profits generated from the -200’s sales. A lot of the later development of the 747 was also bankrolled through the -200’s profits as well.
The poor safety record of the -200 did tarnish not only the 737 brand but also Boeing’s reputation in the eyes of many people. However, more high profile crashes of non-Boeing aircraft since then had restored people’s faith in Boeing.
On top of this, the iconicism of not only the 737, but also subsequent Boeing aircraft , including the -200-funded Boeing 707 and 747, has helped to remove that stain from Boeing’s record!
Boeing 737-200
The -200 was first phased out in the early 1980’s in favor of the newer 737-300s/-400s/-500s. This would continue until the mid-to-late 1990’s. From here, the -200 took one of several different paths.
For many, they were scraped, selling them for scrap metal. For others, they were placed into storage at one of the world’s many aircraft graveyards, where they would languish for many years. Many of them are still there today!
A select few would be sold to various different airlines. Some, would continue their lives as airliners for much smaller airlines, with many of them being in developing countries. Many would also fly as cargo freighters.
Aloha Airlines was the last airline to use the Boeing 737-200 on regularly scheduled passenger flights in the US. The US military would retire their T-43 fleet in September 2010.
Boeing 737
The success of the 737-200 gave Boeing the money to begin work on a potential replacement for the 737-200. This replacement eventually came in the form of the Boeing 737 Classic (the -300/-400/-500 in particular).
When it came to the 737 Classic’s own replacement, the -200’s designs helped greatly. Whilst the fuselage was extended, newer engines were added, these engines would need completely new fuel intake systems.
Although this was mostly done independently, the intake system of the -100 and -200 did help it a lot. These designs provided Boeing engineers with the inspiration for the -300/-400/-500’s own fuel intake system.
With the recent incidents involving the 737 MAX, many people have reflected on the -200’s own safety issues. Naturally, quite a few people have drawn links to the MAX and the -200, including Boeing’s response to it…
Did you ever fly on the Boeing 737-200? What was it like? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of Hugh Llewelyn via Flickr.