Fokker F-28 MK4000 accident near Vero Beach, Florida, August 19, 1989
On August 19, 1989 at about 10:58 pm local time, a Fokker F-28 MK4000, registered N489US, was involved in an accident near Vero Beach, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 13 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IN-FLIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH UNFORECAST TURBULENCE, WHICH RESULTED IN INJURY OF A FLIGHT ATTENDANT, WHO WAS NOT WEARING A SAFETY BELT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 19, 1989 · about 10:58 pm local time
- Place
- Vero Beach, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 13 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fokker F-28 MK4000 F-28 MK400
- Registration
- N489US · no longer on the register · serial 11149
- 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 CAPT RPRTD THAT, WHILE CRUISING IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE, WHICH CONTD FOR ABOUT 10 SECONDS. THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ILLUMINATED, BUT A FLT ATTENDANT, WHO WAS NOT SEATED, SUFFERED A BROKEN ANKLE. NO FORECAST FOR TURBULENCE OR PIREPS WERE RPRTD.
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 instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,700 hours in all; 60 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 73,000 lb
- Seats: 69
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce MK 555-15H (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FLL Fort Lauderdale FL at 10:30 pm
- Destination: JAX Jacksonville FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 11:06 pm from VRB, 17 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 10 |
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.