Boeing 737-201 accident near Near Tampa, Florida, December 29, 1983
On December 29, 1983 at about 2:08 pm local time, a Boeing 737-201, registered N811N, was involved in an accident near Near Tampa, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 7 people had minor injuries; 38 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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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 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1983 · about 2:08 pm local time
- Place
- Near Tampa, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 7 people had minor injuries; 38 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-201 · all 737-201s on the register
- Registration
- N811N · registry record · serial 22869
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO DEPARTURE, THE CAPTAIN REVIEWED AVAILABLE WX REPORTS & WAS AWARE OF THE WX CONDITIONS, INCLUDING CURRENT SIGMETS. HE DECIDED TO FLY A COURSE THAT WAS PARALLEL TO A FRONTAL SYS UNTIL HE COULD GET TO AN AREA WHERE HE COULD CONTINUE TO HIS DESTINATION. AFTER DEPARTING, HE LEFT THE SEAT BELT SIGN ON, BUT DID NOT BRIEF THE PASSENGERS TO EXPECT TURBULENCE NOR RESTRICT THE FLT ATTENDANTS TO THEIR SEATS, SINCE HE DID NOT EXPECT TO ENCOUNTER TURBULENCE. WHILE CRUISING AT 17,000 FT MSL, HE USED HIS RADAR AS WELL AS ATC ADVISORIES TO IDENTIFY ADVERSE WX. AFTER TURNING TO AVOID AN AREA OF HEAVY PRECIPITATION, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE. AT THAT TIME, 3 FLT ATTENDANTS & 1 PASSENGER WERE WALKING IN THE AISLE OF THE ACFT. ONE PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. ONE FLT ATTENDANT & 6 PASSENGERS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE ACFT WAS THEN FLOWN BACK TO TAMPA, FL WHERE IT WAS LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,136 hours in all; 2,900 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,417 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 28, 1983; 1 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 100,800 lb
- Seats: 118
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TPA Tampa FL at 1:59 pm
- Destination: JAX Jacksonville FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 700 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:12 pm from TPA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 6 | 34 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA84LA052.