Boeing 777 accident near Miami, Florida, July 25, 2004
On July 25, 2004 at about 5:15 am local time, a Boeing 777, registered N797AN, was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 216 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the in-flight encounter with unforecasted clear air turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 25, 2004 · about 5:15 am local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 216 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 777 · all 777s on the register
- Registration
- N797AN · registry record
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight encountered unforecasted clear air turbulence while the flight attendants were providing meal service to the passengers. Several of the flight attendants were thrown to the floor by the turbulence, and a flight attendant operating in the rear of the airplane received a fractured left shoulder. The autopilot was engaged at the time of the event, and there were no pilot inputs during the turbulence encounter. Statements from the captain (the flying pilot) and the first officer indicated that the event involved clear air turbulence that lasted 3-4 seconds. The captain characterized the turbulence encounter as "moderate" and being similar to a wake turbulence encounter because of the extremely short duration. He indicated that there were no aircraft in front of them and the nearest thunderstorms were greater than 20 miles to the northwest. The first officer added that they had received no turbulence warnings from other aircraft and that they were clear of all weather.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 38,578 hours in all; 1,700 in this make and model; 240 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 33,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 868 in this make and model; 160 in the last 90 days; 83 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 600 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL
- Destination: GRU Sao Paulo
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 12 | ||
| Passengers | 204 |
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.