Boeing 737-200 accident near Miami, Florida, August 27, 1992
On August 27, 1992, a Boeing 737-200, registered N206AU, was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 92 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE (SHORT) OF A DIODE LOCATED INSIDE A TRANSFORMER WHICH IS LOCATED IN THE NO. 1 GENERATOR CONTROL UNIT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 27, 1992
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 92 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N206AU · no longer on the register · serial 19422
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE AWAITING TAKEOFF CLEARANCE, THE CAPT STATED THAT HE OBSERVED A FLASH OF LIGHT & SMELLED SMOKE. HE INITIATED THE PAX EVACUATION CHECKLIST & ALL PAX EVACUATED THE ACFT. EXAM OF THE ACFT BY COMPANY MAINT PERSONNEL REVEALED THAT THE NO. 1 GENERATOR CONTROL UNIT (GCU) LOCATED BEHIND THE FIRST OFFICER'S SEAT EXPERIENCED INTERNAL FAILURE. THE GCU WAS REMOVED FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION. EXAM OF THE UNIT REVEALED THAT A DIODE LOCATED INSIDE A TRANSFORMER WAS SHORTED, WHICH OVERHEATED THE TRANSFORMER & PRODUCED THE SMOKE. ACCORDING TO BOEING, THERE HAVE BEEN 12 SIMILAR OCCURRENCES.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,000 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 8,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 58,399 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 10, 1992; 43 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carnival Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MIA
- Destination: MYNN Nassau OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 060° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 3,000 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 pm from MIA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 2 | 87 |
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.