Douglas DC-8-61 accident near Miami, Florida, August 7, 1997
On August 7, 1997 at about 4:36 pm local time, a Douglas DC-8-61, registered N27UA, was destroyed in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami International Airpo airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 4 people were killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane being misloaded to produce a more aft center of gravity and a correspondingly incorrect stabilizer trim setting that precipitated an extreme pitch-up at rotation, was (1) the failure of Fine Air to exercise operational control over the cargo loading process; and (2) the failure of Aeromar to load the airplane as specified by Fine Air. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to adequately monitor Fine Air's operational control responsibilities for cargo loading and the failure of the FAA to ensure that known cargo-related deficiencies were corrected at Fine Air.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 1997 · about 4:36 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International Airpo
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 4 people were killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-8-61 · all DC-8-61s on the register
- Registration
- N27UA · no longer on the register · serial 45942
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
: On August 7, 1997, at 1236 eastern daylight time, a Douglas DC-8-61, N27UA, operated by Fine Airlines Inc. (Fine Air) as flight 101, crashed after takeoff from runway 27R at Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida. The three flightcrew members and one security guard on board were killed, and a motorist was killed on the ground. The airplane was destroyed by impact and a postcrash fire. The cargo flight, with a scheduled destination of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, was conducted on an instrument flight rules flight plan and operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a Supplemental air carrier. Prior to takeoff, the airplane was misloaded to produce a more aft center of gravity and a correspondingly incorrect stabilizer trim setting. This precipitated an extreme pitch-up at rotation. Because of the incorrect stabilizer trim setting the pilots could not gain adequate control of the airplane before it struck the ground :
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,154 hours in all; 216 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: April 27, 1997
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,891 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 283,875 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D-3B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Fine Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL
- Destination: SDQ Santo Domingo
- Flight plan: not recorded
- Runway 27R, 10,502 ft by 200 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:36 pm from MIA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 |
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 N27UA 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.