Airbus Industrie A300B4-2C accident near West Palm Bch, Florida, July 13, 1986
On July 13, 1986 at about 9:31 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A300B4-2C, registered N206EA, was involved in an accident near West Palm Bch, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people were seriously injured and 28 people had minor injuries; 213 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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 13, 1986 · about 9:31 pm local time
- Place
- West Palm Bch, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 28 people had minor injuries; 213 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A300B4-2C · all A300B4-2Cs on the register
- Registration
- N206EA · registry record · serial 066
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT AN ANNOUNCEMENT HAD BEEN MADE THAT THEY WERE STARTING THEIR DESCENT INTO THE MIAMI AREA AND TURNED THE SEATBELT SIGN ON AND THE PASSENGERS HAD BEEN INSTRUCTED TO RETURN TO THEIR SEATS. APPROXIMATELY 5 MINUTES LATER, TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED AND SOME INJURIES RESULTED DUE TO THE PASSENGERS NOT BEING IN THEIR SEATS OR NOT HAVING THEIR SEATBELTS FASTENED. NO OTHER TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED BEFORE OR AFTER THIS OCCURRENCE.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,145 hours in all; 1,481 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 347,225 lb
- Seats: 348
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JFK New York NY at 7:26 pm
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from PBI, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | 6 | ||
| Passengers | 2 | 20 | 207 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N206EA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.