Gulfstream 150 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, January 25, 2020
On January 25, 2020, a 2006 Gulfstream 150, registered N373ML, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near San Juan, Puerto Rico (Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of control during landing on a wet runway after encountering standing water.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2020
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · Fernando Luis Ribas Dominicci · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 4 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Gulfstream 150 NO SERIES, built 2006
- Registration
- N373ML · no longer on the register · serial 204
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane approached the destination airport at night, with rain showers in the area and the runway reported as wet. The pilot-in-command (PIC) stated that the airplane touched down “close to” the computed reference speed of 122 knots and “in the vicinity” of the 1,000 ft marker of the runway. At touchdown, the thrust reversers were deployed, and as the airplane decelerated through 70 knots, the PIC noticed standing water on the runway ahead. As the airplane encountered the standing water, with about 1,000 ft of runway remaining, it yawed to the left, then to the right, and departed the runway and struck a fence, sustaining substantial damage to the right wing. According to a Federal Aviation Administration inspector, the airport had a history of standing water forming on the runway due to poor drainage over the previous 2 years, which resulted in reports of poor braking performance. Data from the airplane manufacturer indicated that, for the reported landing weight and weather conditions, the airplane required a landing distance of 3,620 ft on a wet runway and 4,100 ft on a contaminated runway (standing water). The landing distance available was 5,126 ft. Although the precise touchdown location and landing speed could not be determined, the manufacturer’s data suggest that the airplane could have stopped prior to reaching the 1,000 ft remaining location on the landing runway.
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
- Loss of control on ground during landing (landing roll) defining event
- Runway excursion during landing (landing roll)
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet surface › Effect on operation
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Directional control › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,150 hours in all; 35 in this make and model; 65 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days; 2,484 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 22, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,981 hours in all; 15 in this make and model; 58 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 5,561 as pilot in command; 1,865 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 21, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,519 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 16, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 26,250 lb
- Seats: 10
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Honeywell TFE731-40AR-2 (turbofan); 3,519 hours total
- Engine 2: Honeywell TFE731-40AR-2 (turbofan); 3,456 hours total
- Operator: Eagle Air
The flight
- Departed from: HOU Houston TX at 9:12 pm
- Destination: TJIG San Juan PR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 09, 5,542 ft by 100 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.99 inHg
- Observation at 1:56 am from TJSJ, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
8 documents, released by the NTSB on March 14, 2022. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Record of Conversation - Flight Crew | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandum for Record - Information Provided by FAA Inspector | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Report from Puerto Rico Ports Authority | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 5 | Landing Distance Calculations | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Weather Reports and Records | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 7 | radar and Air Traffic Control Communications - Video File | video | View Download |
| 8 | Photos | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.