Boeing 727-200 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, June 11, 1983
On June 11, 1983, a Boeing 727-200, registered HI242, was involved in an accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico (Isla Verde airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 145 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 11, 1983
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · Isla Verde
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 145 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-200 · all 727-200s on the register
- Registration
- HI242 · no longer on the register · serial 21036
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AS THE ACFT WAS DEPARTING, THE AIRLINE COMPANY RECEIVED INFO CONCERNING A BOMB THREAT. THE AIRCREW WERE INSTRUCTED TO RETURN TO THE ARPT & LAND. AFTER LANDING, THE ACFT WAS PARKED AT AN ISOLATED AREA & PORTABLE STAIRS WERE POSITIONED AT THE LEFT FORWARD DOOR. THE REAR DOOR COULD NOT BE OPENED IMMEDIATELY DUE TO AN APPARENT MALFUNCTION. DURING THE EVACUATION, SEVERAL PASSENGERS PROCEEDED TO OPEN AN OVERWING EMERGENCY EXIT & JUMP FROM THE LEADING EDGE OF THE WING. ONE PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED & 6 RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES.
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: foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 173,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: STO Dominican Rep.
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:00 pm from SJU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 6 | 138 |
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.