Boeing 727-223 incident near St. Thomas, December 13, 1991
On December 13, 1991 at about 6:30 pm local time, a Boeing 727-223, registered N892AA, suffered minor damage in an incident near St. Thomas (Cyril E. King airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 107 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PILOT-IN-COMMAND'S DELAYED REMEDIAL ACTION TO CORRECT FOR A GUST OF WIND DURING THE LANDING FLARE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 13, 1991 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- St. Thomas · Cyril E. King
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 107 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-223 · all 727-223s on the register
- Registration
- N892AA · no longer on the register · serial 22008
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE COMMERCIAL AIRLINER ENCOUNTERED A GUST OF WIND DURING THE LANDING FLARE AND BOTH WING TIPS CONTACTED THE GROUND RESULTING IN MINOR DAMAGE. THE CAPTAIN EXECUTED A GO-AROUND AND THE AIRPLANE DIVERTED TO ANOTHER AIRPORT.
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: 10,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 100 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32,100 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 191,000 lb
- Seats: 150
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8-15A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SJU San Juan PR at 6:05 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 1, 5,345 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 050° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 25,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:30 pm from TIST, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 100 |
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.