Boeing 747-200 incident near Jamaica, New York, June 1, 1988
On June 1, 1988 at about 8:31 pm local time, a Boeing 747-200, registered SXOAB, suffered minor damage in an incident near Jamaica, New York (J. F. Kennedy Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 157 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
NONE SUBMITTED
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 1, 1988 · about 8:31 pm local time
- Place
- Jamaica, New York · J. F. Kennedy Int'L · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 157 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-200 · all 747-200s on the register
- Registration
- SXOAB · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS ON SHORT ILS FINAL APPROACH, WITH THE FIRST OFFICER AT THE CONTROLS, WHEN IT ENTERED A RAIN SHOWER. ALL FORWARD VISIBILITY WAS LOST, ACCORDING TO THE PILOTS. THE CAPTAIN THEN TOOK CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE AND PERFORMED A GO AROUND MANEUVER. PRIOR TO THE GO-AROUND, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN AND ONE MAIN LANDING GEAR TRUCK STRUCK AN APPROACH LIGHTING JUCNTION BOX. AT LEAST ONE MAIN GEAR TIRE WAS BLOWN AT THAT TIME. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SAFELY AND THE CREW WAS UNAWARE THAT THEY HAD TOUCHED DOWN SHORT AND TO THE RIGHT OF THE OVERRUN. SEVERAL COMPONENTS ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT WERE DAMAGED BY TIRE FRAGMENTS. WEATHER CONDITIONS AT THE TIME INCLUDED GUSTY WINDS AND A SLIGHT WIND SHEAR. THE AIRCREW HAD EXPERIENCED FORMAL WIND SHEAR TRAINING. THE CAPTAIN HAD ACCRUED ABOUT 4,500 HOURS IN THE B-747 AND THE FIRST OFFICER HAD ACCRUED ABOUT 50 HOURS IN THE B-747.
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
- Flight time: 22,500 hours in all; 4,500 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 180 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 785,000 lb
- Seats: 495
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-90 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATH Athens OF at 10:31 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 31R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 19 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:30 pm from JFK, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 20 | |||
| Passengers | 137 |
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.