Airbus Industrie A-300-600R incident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, August 28, 1991
On August 28, 1991 at about 5:42 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-300-600R, registered N18066, was involved in an incident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 33 people had minor injuries; 152 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE IN FLIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH TURBULENCE, AND THE FAILURE OF THE PASSENGERS TO COMPLY WITH INSTRUCTIONS TO RETURN TO THEIR SEATS AND UTILIZE THEIR SEATBELTS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 28, 1991 · about 5:42 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 33 people had minor injuries; 152 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-300-600R · all A-300-600Rs on the register
- Registration
- N18066 · no longer on the register · serial 509
- 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 AIRLINER ENCOUNTERED IN-FLIGHT TURBULENCE ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPING CONVECTIVE CONDITIONS. THE FLIGHTCREW HAD PREVIOUSLY ILLUMINATED THE SEATBELT SIGN AND THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS HAD MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT. SOME PASSENGERS DID NOT COMPLY WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS AND WERE INJURED. THE FLIGHT DIVERTED TO ANOTHER AIRPORT AND THE PASSENGERS, WHO ONLY RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES WERE TREATED AND RELEASED FROM A LOCAL HOSPITAL.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,000 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 185 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 380,520 lb
- Seats: 212
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF-6-80C-2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: JFK New York NY at 4:03 pm
- Destination: SJU San Juan PR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 15 knots, gusting 5
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,800 ft; scat at 800 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from TXKF, 80 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| Passengers | 33 | 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.
Other NTSB records under N18066 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.