Boeing 727-214 and Douglas DC-3 incident near St Croix, October 28, 1987
On October 28, 1987 at about 1:03 am local time, 2 aircraft, Boeing 727-214 (N375PA) and Douglas DC-3 (N80617), were involved in the same incident near St Croix (Alexander Hamilton airport). No one was hurt; 68 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 incident. 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
- October 28, 1987 · about 1:03 am local time
- Place
- St Croix · Alexander Hamilton
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 68 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Boeing 727-214 · all 727-214s on the register
- Registration
- N375PA · registry record · serial 20875
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
- Aircraft 2
- Douglas DC-3 · all DC-3s on the register
- Registration
- N80617 · no longer on the register · serial 20865
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative for the Boeing 727-214 final · quoted from the NTSB record
PAA FLT WAS ON VISUAL APCH AND IN CONTACT WITH APCH CONTROL WHO INFORMED FLT OF TWO ACFT AHEAD ALSO ON VISUAL APCH. THE CONTROLLER OFFERED VECTORS TO CLEAR TRAFFIC. PAA FLT ELECTED ON CONTINUE CURRENT HEADING. THE TWO PRECEDING ACFT WERE ON TWR FREQ GIVING POSITION ADVISORIES FOR THE TWR WAS CLOSED. THE PAA FLT ELECTED TO STAY ON APCH CONTROL FOR ASR ASSIST. AS THE FLT CLOSED ON THE SECOND ACFT IT REQUESTED VECTORS AWAY. THE CONTROLLER STATED THEIR TARGETS HAD MERGED AND HE WAS NO LONGER SEEING EITHER OF THE OTHER ACFT. SHORTLY AFTER THIS THE SECOND ACFT WAS OBSERVED OFF THE RIGHT NOSE SLIGHTLY BELOW AT 150 TO 175 FEET. THE PAA FLT PERFORMED A CLIMBING LEFT TURN AND CLEARED THE OTHER ACFT. THE PAA FLT THEN CIRCLED AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AFTER THE OTHER TWO ACFT LANDED. COMPANY PROCEDURES CALLED FOR THE PAA FLT TO MONITOR THE TWR FREQ FOR TRAFFIC AND GIVE POSITION REPORTS WHEN THE TWR WAS CLOSED. THIS WAS NOT DONE.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Douglas DC-3 final · quoted from the NTSB record
PAA FLT WAS ON VISUAL APCH AND IN CONTACT WITH APCH CONTROL WHO INFORMED FLT OF TWO ACFT AHEAD ALSO ON VISUAL APCH. THE CONTROLLER OFFERED VECTORS TO CLEAR TRAFFIC. PAA FLT ELECTED TO CONTINUE CURRENT HEADING. THE TWO PRECEDING ACFT WERE ON TWR FREQ GIVING POSITION ADVISORIES FOR THE TWR WAS CLOSED. THE PAA FLT ELECTED TO STAY ON APCH CONTROL FOR ASR ASSIST. AS THE FLT CLOSED ON THE SECOND ACFT IT REQUESTED VECTORS AWAY. THE CONTROLLER STATED THEIR TARGETS HAD MERGED AND HE WAS NO LONGER SEEING EITHER OF THE OTHER ACFT. SHORTLY AFTER THIS THE SECOND ACFT WAS OBSERVED OFF THE RIGHT NOSE SLIGHTLY BELOW AT 150 TO 175 FEET. THE PAA FLT PERFORMED A CLIMBING LEFT TURN AND CLEARED THE OTHER ACFT. THE PAA FLT THEN CIRCLED AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT AFTER THE OTHER TWO ACFT LANDED. COMPANY PROCEDURES CALLED FOR PAA TO MONITOR THE TWR FREQ FOR TRAFFIC AND GIVE POSITION REPORTS WHEN THE TWR WAS CLOSED. THIS WAS NOT DONE.
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 for the Boeing 727-214 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: 15,437 hours in all; 8,259 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 142,000 lb
- Seats: 95
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 10:37 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 7,612 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 140° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 79°F (26°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:45 pm from STX, 3 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 59 |
The factual record for the Douglas DC-3 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,247 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 30,400 lb
- Seats: 3
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Wright R-1820 (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carib Air Cargo
The flight
- Departed from: SJU San Juan PR
- Flight plan: VFR
- Runway 9, 7,612 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.