Airbus A330 incident near Los Cayes, Ht, May 22, 2009
On May 22, 2009 at about 1:47 am local time, a Airbus A330, registered PTMVB, was involved in an incident during enroute (cruise) near Los Cayes (Los Cayes airport). It was flown under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 176 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The final report for this incident was combined with and can be found under NTSB Investigation number, DCA09IA064.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 22, 2009 · about 1:47 am local time
- Place
- Los Cayes, Haiti · Los Cayes
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 176 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A330 200 · all A330s on the register
- Registration
- PTMVB · no longer on the register · serial 238
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 21, 2009, at 2147 EDT, an Airbus A330-200, Brazilian registration PT-MVB, operated by TAM Airlines as flight 8091 from Miami International Airport, Florida, to Sao Paulo Guarulhos International Airport, Brazil, experienced a loss of primary speed and altitude information while in cruise flight at FL370. Initial reports indicated that the flight crew noted an abrupt drop in outside air temperature and observed St. Elmo's Fire, followed by the loss of the Air Data Reference System, disconnections of autopilot and autothrust, and loss of primary airspeed and altitude. The flight crew continued using backup instruments, and after approximately 5 minutes, primary data was restored. The airplane remained in alternate flight law and displayed a rudder travel limit flag. The crew determined they could not restore normal law and continued the flight under the appropriate procedures. The flight landed at Sao Paulo with no further incident and there were no injuries or damage. With the concurrence of the Brazilian Centro de Investigação e Prevenção de Acidentes Aeronáuticos (CENIPA), the NTSB initiated an incident investigation into this event. The final report for this incident was combined with and can be found under NTSB investigation number, DCA09IA064.
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
What happened, in order
- Flight instrument malf/fail during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Pitot/static anti › ice › Capability exceeded
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PW4000 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PW4000 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KMIA Miami FL
- Destination: SGRU Sao Paulo
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 6 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 168 |
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.