Boeing 737-222 incident near Miami, Florida, July 24, 1988
On July 24, 1988 at about 1:15 pm local time, a Boeing 737-222, registered N69AF, 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; 85 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
- July 24, 1988 · about 1:15 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 85 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-222 · all 737-222s on the register
- Registration
- N69AF · registry record · serial 19059
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLT EXPERIENCED FAILURE OF THE NUMBER TWO ENGINE SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF WHEN THE COMBUSTION OUTER CASE RUPTURED. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION REVEALED THE RUPTURED CASE HAD A 1/2 INCH CRACK IN IT WHEN IT WENT THROUGH OVERHAUL 16 CYCLES BEFORE THE FAILURE. IT WAS FURTHER DETERMINED THAT THE NICKLE AND CADMIUM PLATING PLACED ON THE CASE AT OVERHAUL WAS NOT PROPER THICKNESS RESULTING IN CADMIUM EMBRITTLEMENT OF THE CASE BASE MATERIAL AND THEN THE CASE RUPTURE.
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: 10,300 hours in all; 70 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 20, 1988; 16 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 107
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: DFW Dallas TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 27L, 13,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:50 pm from MIA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 80 |
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.