Boeing 727-200 accident near Charleston, South Carolina, March 19, 1987
On March 19, 1987 at about 8:00 pm local time, a Boeing 727-200, registered XAHOH, was involved in an accident near Charleston, South Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 57 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
- March 19, 1987 · about 8:00 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 57 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- XAHOH · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE AT FL 350 DURING CRUISE FLIGHT. THE PILOT SAID HE WAS AWARE BEFOREHAND OF EXISTING TURBULENT CONDITIONS. ACCORDING TO THE PLT THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND PASSENGERS WERE ASKED TO BE SEATED. WHEN THE TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED TWO OF THE THREE INJURED PASSENGER WERE NOT SEATED.
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, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Unknown (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 155
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mexicana Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: CUN Cancun, Mexico
- Destination: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 49 |
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.