Boeing 727-295 accident near Miami, Florida, April 1, 1987
On April 1, 1987 at about 1:13 pm local time, a Boeing 727-295, registered N1643, was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 95 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 1, 1987 · about 1:13 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 95 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-295 · all 727-295s on the register
- Registration
- N1643 · registry record · serial 19448
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AN 84 YEAR-OLD MALE PAX GOT UP FROM HIS SEAT SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF AND HEADED TOWARD THE AFT LAVATORIES. THE SEAT BELT AND NO SMOKING SIGNS WERE STILL ILLUMINATED. THE ACFT WAS AT ABOUT 1000 FT AGL AND IN A STEEP CLIMB ATTITUDE. THE PAX FELL FACE FORWARD TOWARD THE REAR OF THE PLANE AND BROKE HIS HIP.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 55,019 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 58 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 164
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Piedmont Aviation,Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 8:10 am
- Destination: CLT Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27L
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from MIA, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 88 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.