Airbus Industrie A-300-600R incident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 24, 1988
On October 24, 1988 at about 10:15 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-300-600R, registered N70054, was involved in an incident near San Juan, Puerto Rico (Luis Munoz Marin Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people had minor injuries; 272 others were unhurt. 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 24, 1988 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · Luis Munoz Marin Intl
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 272 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-300-600R · all A-300-600Rs on the register
- Registration
- N70054 · no longer on the register · serial 461
- 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 ACFT DEPARTED RUNWAY 8 AT 1810 AST. THE PLT REPORTED A RT ENG FIRE AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY. THE ACFT WAS LANDED AT 1815 AST, TURNED OFF THE RUNWAY, AND ALL THE PASSENGERS WERE EVACUATED VIA THE SLIDES. ACCORDING TO MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL IN SAN JUAN, THE #2 HIGH PRESSURE BLEED VALVE IN THE RIGHT ENGINE HAD BEEN REPLACED PRIOR TO DEPARTURE. POST INCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE BLEED VALVE REVEALED THAT THE BAND CLAMPS THAT SECURE THE BLEED VALVE TO THE ENGINE WERE UNDERTORQUED DURING INSTALLATION, ALLOWING THE PREMATURE SEPARATION OF THE BLEED VALVE.
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
- Flight time: 27,000 hours in all; 104 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 302,000 lb
- Seats: 380
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80-C2A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Destination: JFK New York NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 8, 10,000 ft by 200 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,500 ft
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:45 pm from SJU
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 10 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 262 |
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.