Boeing 727-223 accident near Fort Myers, Florida, July 18, 1990
On July 18, 1990 at about 8:48 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N6834, was involved in an accident near Fort Myers, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 150 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
UNFORECASTED ENCOUNTER WITH WEATHER. THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBLENCE DURING ENROUTE DESCENT, RESULTING IN ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT SUSTAINING SERIOUS INJURY, AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINING MINOR INJURY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 18, 1990 · about 8:48 pm local time
- Place
- Fort Myers, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 150 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N6834 · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AN AMERICAN AIRLINES, BOEING 727-223, WAS IFR AT FLIGHT LEVEL 30,200. THE AIRPLANE WAS 15 NAUTICAL MILES, NORTHWEST OF FORT MYERS, FLORIDA, IN A DESCENT TO MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, MIAMI, FLORIDA, WHEN IT EXPERIENCED AN UNFORECASTED ENCOUNTER WITH WEATHER (SEVER TURBLENCE). THE AIRPLANE WAS NOT DAMAGED. ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURY, AND ONE PASSENGER SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE AIRPLANE ARRIVED AT DESTINATION AIRPORT WITHOUT FIRTHER INCIDENT. ANALYSIS OF THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER REVEALED THE AIRPLANE WAS SUBJECTED TO A SERIES OF OSCILLATING VERTICAL ('G') LOADS FOR A PERIOD OF 50 SECONDS. THE MAXIMUM G LOAD WAS 1.94, AND THE MINIMUM WAS -0.55.
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: 4,500 hours in all; 573 in this make and model; 93 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 59,063 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 178,000 lb
- Seats: 159
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas TX at 5:58 pm
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:47 pm from FMY, 115 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 7 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 143 |
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.