Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, January 20, 1990
On January 20, 1990 at about 4:50 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10, registered N124AA, was involved in an accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people were seriously injured and 45 people had minor injuries; 100 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
INADVERTENT FLIGHT OF THE AIRPLANE INTO AN AREA OF TURBULENCE ASSOCIATED WITH A DEVELOPING RAIN STORM.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 20, 1990 · about 4:50 am local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 45 people had minor injuries; 100 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-10-10 · all DC-10-10s on the register
- Registration
- N124AA · registry record
- 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 AIRPLANE WAS IN A NORMAL DESCENT FROM FL370 IN PREPARATION FOR ARRIVAL AT THE DESTINATION. AS THE DESCENT CONTINUED THROUGH FL 230 THE FLIGHT EXPERIENCED 2 TURBULENCE EVENTS AND 2 PASSENGERS RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES AND 37 PASSENGERS AND 8 FLIGHT ATTENDANTS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT WAS OPERATING ON A MOONLESS NIGHT AND THE WEATHER AVOIDANCE RADAR WAS ON BUT NOTHING WAS OBSERVED ON THE RADAR.
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: 16,550 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 430,000 lb
- Seats: 290
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Ge CF-6 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EWR Newark NJ at 1:45 am
- Destination: SJU San Juan PR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 120° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 12 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:53 am from SJU, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 8 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 2 | 37 | 97 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N124AA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number MIA90LA058.