Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-51 accident near Key West, Florida, July 24, 1984
On July 24, 1984 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-51, registered XAPIK, was involved in an accident near Key West, Florida (Unknown airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 1 person was seriously injured and 8 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
- July 24, 1984 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Key West, Florida · Unknown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 8 people had minor injuries; 145 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-51
- Registration
- XAPIK · no longer on the register · serial 45685
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CAPTAIN REPORTED THAT THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS LEFT ON FOR THE ENTIRE FLT FROM MEXICO CITY TO MIAMI. APRX 50 MI FROM KEY WEST, THE FLT BEGAN A DESCENT FROM FL370. WHILE DESCENDING THRU ABOUT 11,500 FT, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE. AT THAT TIME, THE AIRSPEED WAS 270 KTS & THE ACFT WAS PASSING THRU A CUMULUS CLOUD. ONE PASSENGER SUFFERED A SERIOUS INJURY, 4 PASSENGERS & 4 FLT ATTENDANTS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLT CREW CONTINUED TO MIAMI INTL ARPT & LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. A WX STUDY REVEALED A LARGE AREA OF LEVEL 2 TO LEVEL 5 THUNDERSTORMS ALONG THE ROUTE. THERE WAS A CONVECTIVE SIGMET FOR AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS WITH TOPS TO 45,000 FT. THE PASSENGERS STATED THAT NO PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENTS WERE MADE TO WARN THEM OF POSSIBLE TURBULENCE, EXCEPT FOR THE SEAT BELT SIGN. INJURIES OCCURRED WHEN OCCUPANTS WERE THROWN ABOUT THE CABIN OR AGAINST LOOSE SEAT BELTS.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 61,922 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 278,000 lb
- Seats: 152
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D-313 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEX Mexico City at 3:05 pm
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,500 ft; scat at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Observation at 5:45 pm from EWY, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 4 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 | 141 |
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.