Boeing 747-136 accident near Miami, Florida, July 14, 1990
On July 14, 1990 at about 7:49 pm local time, a Boeing 747-136, registered GAWNL, was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 2 people were seriously injured and 18 people had minor injuries; 363 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INADVERTENT ENCOUNTER WITH SEVERE TURBULENCE WHILE OPERATING IN AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 14, 1990 · about 7:49 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured and 18 people had minor injuries; 363 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-136 · all 747-136s on the register
- Registration
- GAWNL · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
FLT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE WHILE DESCENDING THROUGH 12,300 FEET ON APPROACH TO MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT. WEATHER STUDIES INDICATED THE AIRCRAFT WAS IN AT LEAST MODERATE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY AND NEAR AN AREA OF VERY HEAVY OR LEVEL 4 ACTIVITY. FLIGHT RECORDER DATA INDICATED PEAK G FORCES WERE ENCOUNTERED 40 SECONDS AFTER TURBULENCE ENCOUNTER. PEAK G FORCES WERE FROM 1.5 TO -0.5 G OVER A THREE SECOND PERIOD.
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, foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,113 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 3, 1990; 154 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 710,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: EGLL London OF at 10:30 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft; scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:50 pm from MIA, 20 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 7 | 10 | |
| Passengers | 1 | 11 | 353 |
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.