Boeing B757-200 incident near West Palm Beach, Florida, January 31, 2008
On January 31, 2008 at about 1:22 am local time, a Boeing B757-200, registered N624AA, suffered minor damage in an incident during enroute (cruise) near West Palm Beach, Florida. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 6 people had minor injuries; 140 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the arcing of the windshield heat system at the upper, aft (J1) and upper, forward (J4) terminal locations on the first officer's windshield, which caused the inner pane of glass to fracture.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 31, 2008 · about 1:22 am local time
- Place
- West Palm Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 6 people had minor injuries; 140 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B757-200
- Registration
- N624AA · registry record
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise flight the crew experienced smoke in the cockpit, none of it coming from an obvious place, followed by the fracture of the inner pane of the first officer's windshield. They declared an emergency and diverted the airplane to a local airport where an uneventful landing was made. Examination of the widow revealed evidence of arcing at the upper, aft (J1) and upper, forward (J4) windshield heat terminal locations and inner pane fracture initiation beneath the upper, forward (J4) terminal block. The initiation point for the arcing at both terminal locations could not be identified due to the damage sustained.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Windows › windshield system › Flight compartment windows › Damaged/degraded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Ice/rain protection system › Windows/windshields & doors › Malfunction
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 182 in the last 90 days; 49 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land
- Flight time: 122 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: October 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 250,000 lb
- Seats: 188
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Rolls-Royce RB211-53/5E4B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Rolls-Royce RB211-53/5E4B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines Commercial Flight Operations
The flight
- Departed from: SJU San Juan PR at 10:51 pm
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 150° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 1:53 am from KPBI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | 3 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 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.