Boeing 727-225B accident near Miami, Florida, December 27, 1989
On December 27, 1989 at about 4:40 pm local time, a Boeing 727-225B, registered N822EA, was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was killed; 53 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FATAL INJURY TO A STOWAWAY DUE TO ASPHYXIA AND HYPOTHERMIA.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 27, 1989 · about 4:40 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed; 53 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-225B · all 727-225Bs on the register
- Registration
- N822EA · registry record · serial 22559
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
STOWAWAY HID IN UNPRESSURIZED AND UNHEATED AFT AIRSTAIR AREA OF AIRPLANE RESULTING IN DEATH DUE TO ASPHYXIA AND HYPOTHERMIA DURING FLIGHT.
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: 17,000 hours in all; 200 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 240,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eastern Air Lines, INC
The flight
- Departed from: TBPB Bridgetown OF at 12:43 pm
- Destination: KMIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 46 |
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.