Boeing 737-824 incident near San Jose, Outside the U.S., December 30, 2020
On December 30, 2020, a 2002 Boeing 737-824, registered N73275, suffered minor damage in an incident during landing (landing roll) near San Jose, Outside the U.S. (Juan Santamaria International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 129 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- December 30, 2020
- Place
- San Jose, Costa Rica · Juan Santamaria International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 129 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-824, built 2002 · all 737-824s on the register
- Registration
- N73275 · registry record · serial 31593
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll) defining event
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 20,000 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl. CFM56 SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl. CFM56 SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Wind: from 240° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 6.2 statute miles
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.97 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from MROC
Weather report (METAR): MROC 310000Z 24008KT 9999 -RA OVC005 20/20 A2997 NOSIG
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 10 | |||
| Passengers | 119 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.