Boeing 747-287B accident near Miami, Florida, July 25, 1987
On July 25, 1987 at about 3:00 am local time, a Boeing 747-287B, registered LVOPA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 118 people were on board or involved. 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 25, 1987 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 118 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-287B · all 747-287Bs on the register
- Registration
- LVOPA · no longer on the register · serial 22593
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING LNDG THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF THE RWY WAS USED DUE TO AN INOP NO 2 ENG REVERSER. ONLY BRAKES WERE USED TO SLOW DOWN THE ACFT AND TAXI TO THE GATE. THE PLT STATED THAT HE HAD ARRIVED AT THE GATE, SET THE PARKING BRAKE, AND WAS NOTIFIED THAT THE WHEEL CHOCKS HAD BEEN PLACED IN FRONT OF THE NOSE WHEEL TIRE. JUST AFTER THIS WAS DONE, A GROUND CREWMAN SAID TO THE CAPTAIN, 'STOP STOP YOU ARE ROLLING FORWARD.' AT THIS TIME, THE CAPTAIN PUT ON THE BRAKES, BUT BEFORE THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, IT HAD CONTACTED THE JETWAY CAUSING SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO 2 OF THE TOP INBOARD WING PANELS. THE ACFT WAS REGISTERED TO AEROLINEAS ARGENTINAS AND THE CPT HAD AN ARGENTINE PLT CERTIFICATE.
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
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 775,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Unknown UNKNOWN (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JFK New York NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9R, 13,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:00 am from MIA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 115 |
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.