Boeing 727-200A and Boeing 727-200 incident near San Antonio, Texas, March 22, 1989
On March 22, 1989, 2 aircraft, Boeing 727-200A (N728) and Boeing 727-200 (XAMXE), were involved in the same incident near San Antonio, Texas. No one was hurt; 261 people were on board or involved. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE ARTCC CONTROLLER TO ASSURE THAT THE AIRCRAFT MAINTAINED IFR SEPARATION STANDARDS. THE CONTROLLER'S HEAVY WORKLOAD WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
FAILURE OF THE ARTCC CONTROLLER TO ASSURE THAT THE AIRCRAFT MAINTAINED IFR SEPARATION STANDARDS. THE CONTROLLER'S HEAVY WORKLOAD WAS A RELATED FACTOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 22, 1989
- Place
- San Antonio, Texas
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 261 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft 1
- Boeing 727-200A · all 727-200As on the register
- Registration
- N728 · registry record
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- XAMXE · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 727-200A final · quoted from the NTSB record
AMERICAN AIRLINE FLT 1269 & MEXICANA AIRLINE FLT 731 WERE CRUISING AT FL 290 ON SOUTHERLY HEADINGS. AFTER DEVIATING AROUND WEATHER, FLT 1269 WAS ON A SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TWO BOEING 727 AIRCRAFT CONVERGED TO ABOUT 1.06 MI FROM EACH OTHER, VIOLATING THE MINIMUM HORIZONTAL SEPARATION REQUIREMENT. THE OPERATIONAL ERROR OCCURRED WHEN THE ARTCC CONTROLLER WAS BUSY WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 727-200 final · quoted from the NTSB record
AMERICAN AIRLINE FLT 1269 & MEXICANA AIRLINE FLT 731 WERE CRUISING AT FL 290 ON SOUTHERLY HEADINGS. AFTER DEVIATING AROUND WEATHER, FLT 1269 WAS ON A SOUTH-SOUTHEASTERLY HEADING. SUBSEQUENTLY, THE TWO BOEING 727 AIRCRAFT CONVERGED TO ABOUT 1.06 MI FROM EACH OTHER, VIOLATING THE MINIMUM HORIZONTAL SEPARATION REQUIREMENT. THE OPERATIONAL ERROR OCCURRED WHEN THE ARTCC CONTROLLER WAS BUSY WITH HEAVY TRAFFIC.
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 for the Boeing 727-200A from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas TX at 11:25 pm
- Destination: CUN Can Cun
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 126 |
The factual record for the Boeing 727-200 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,300 hours in all; 5,300 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days; 50 in the last 30 days; 730 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 134
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17R (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Mexicana Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas TX
- Destination: MTY Mariano Escobed
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 121 |
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.