Atr 72 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 9, 2004
On May 9, 2004 at about 4:01 am local time, a Atr 72, registered N438AT, was destroyed in an accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico (Luis Munoz Minor airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 19 people had minor injuries; 6 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the captain's failure to execute proper techniques to recover from the bounced landings and his subsequent failure to execute a go-around.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 2004 · about 4:01 am local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · Luis Munoz Minor · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 19 people had minor injuries; 6 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Atr 72
- Registration
- N438AT · no longer on the register · serial 438
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-05/02. On May 9, 2004, about 1450 Atlantic standard time, Executive Airlines (doing business as American Eagle) flight 5401, an Avions de Transport Regional 72-212, N438AT, skipped once, bounced hard twice, and then crashed at Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport, San Juan, Puerto Rico. The airplane came to a complete stop on a grassy area about 217 feet left of the runway 8 centerline and about 4,317 feet beyond the runway threshold. The captain was seriously injured; the first officer, 2 flight attendants, and 16 of the 22 passengers received minor injuries; and the remaining 6 passengers received no injuries. The airplane was substantially damaged. The airplane was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a scheduled passenger flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.
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
Crew member
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,079 hours in all; 3,813 in this make and model
- Last flight review: April 1, 2004
- Seat: left
- Injury: serious injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 2,000 hours in all; 20 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 19,273.6 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, May 8, 2004; 19,273.6 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 48,501 lb
- Seats: 64
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW-127TM (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney Canada PW-127TM (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Executive Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MAZ Mayaguez PR at 6:20 pm
- Destination: San Juan PR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 10,002 ft by 210 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,400 ft; a few clouds at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 16 | 6 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N438AT the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.