Boeing 767-323ER accident near Sarasota, Florida, January 5, 1993
On January 5, 1993 at about 7:53 pm local time, a Boeing 767-323ER, registered N360AA, suffered minor damage in an accident near Sarasota, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 3 people were seriously injured and 21 people had minor injuries; 200 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE IN-FLIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH WEATHER AND THE FAILURE OF THE PASSENGERS TO COMPLY WITH THE INSTRUCTIONS OF THE FLIGHTCREW.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 5, 1993 · about 7:53 pm local time
- Place
- Sarasota, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured and 21 people had minor injuries; 200 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-323ER · all 767-323ERs on the register
- Registration
- N360AA · no longer on the register · serial 24041
- 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 WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT FLIGHT LEVEL 310 DEVIATING AROUND THUNDERSTORMS WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE. TWO PASSENGERS AND 1 FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES, AND 5 FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND 16 PASSENGERS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE FLIGHT DIVERTED BACK TO THE DESTINATION AIRPORT. THE DFDR REVEALED THAT THE AIRPLANE EXPERIENCED A TOTAL 'G' EXCURSION OF 2.77 'GS'. THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS ON AND A PASSENGER ANNOUNCEMENT HAD BEEN MADE PRIOR TO THE TURBULENCE BEING ENCOUNTERED.
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: 17,500 hours in all; 2,556 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,317 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 374,910 lb
- Seats: 226
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6 80C2B 6 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 7:26 pm
- Destination: SFO San Francisco CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 220° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:56 pm from SRQ, 22 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| Passengers | 2 | 16 | 196 |
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 N360AA 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.