Boeing 727-231 incident near Miami, Florida, December 27, 1987
On December 27, 1987 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Boeing 727-231, registered N54344, suffered minor damage in an incident near Miami, Florida (Miami International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 131 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
- December 27, 1987 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 131 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-231 · all 727-231s on the register
- Registration
- N54344 · no longer on the register · serial 21632
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PLT WAS INSTRUCTED TO TURN THE TAIL TO THE RIGHT AS VIEWED BY THE SIGNAL MAN DURING POWER BACK. AS POWER BACK STARTED THE TAIL WAS TURNED TO THE LEFT AS VIEWED BY THE SIGNAL MAN. THE SIGNAL MAN CORRECTED THIS TURN BUT THE ACFT WAS NOW MAKING A MUCH LARGER ARC AND WAS APPROACHING THE AIRCRAFT PARKING AREA AT THE OPPOSITE CONCOURSE. THE SIGNAL MAN URGENTLY SIGNALED FOR THE PLT TO COME FORWARD BUT THE ACFT ROLLED BACK ANOTHER 40 TO 50 FEET STRIKING A PARKED CARGO LOADER. WITNESSES STATED THE ACFT WAS BEING POWER BACKED AT A MUCH GREATER SPEED THAN NORMAL.
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: 15,018 hours in all; 8,823 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21,217 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, December 16, 1987; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 172,400 lb
- Seats: 156
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Trans World Airlines
The flight
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:50 pm from MIA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 128 |
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.