Douglas DC-3C accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 7, 1993
On October 7, 1993 at about 11:40 pm local time, a Douglas DC-3C, registered N781T, was substantially damaged in an accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico (Luis Munoz Marin Int'L airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
PARTIAL FAILURE OF A WING RIB DUE TO EXFOLIATION CORROSION AND INADEQUATE INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY COMPANY MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 7, 1993 · about 11:40 pm local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · Luis Munoz Marin Int'L
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Douglas DC-3C · all DC-3Cs on the register
- Registration
- N781T · no longer on the register · serial 4306
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
AFTER AN UNEVENTFUL LANDING WHILE TAXIING, THE CAPTAIN NOTICED THAT A SECTION OF THE LEFT WING WAS BENT UP. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT RIB NO. 19 IN THE LEFT WING FAILED CHORDWISE MIDPOINT BETWEEN A ROW OF RIVETS AND NUTPLATES ON THE LOWER ATTACH ANGLE DUE TO EXFOLIATION CORROSION. THE FAA APPROVED 50-HOUR INSPECTION REQUIRES VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE ATTACH ANGLE AND BOLTS BUT DOES NOT REQUIRE REMOVAL OF THE WING TIP.
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, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,450 hours in all; 669 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 1,715 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 36,964 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, September 4, 1993; 39 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 26,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W R1830-92 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDST Santiago OF at 9:38 pm
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 10, 8,016 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 090° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 13 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 28,000 ft; scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 pm from SJU, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.