Boeing 727-100 accident near Miami, Florida, November 22, 1994
On November 22, 1994 at about 5:25 am local time, a Boeing 727-100, registered HCBRF, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE TRUCK DRIVER TO MAINTAIN VISUAL LOOKOUT WHILE OPERATING HIS TRUCK ON AN UNLIT RAMP NEAR AN AIRCRAFT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 22, 1994 · about 5:25 am local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-100 · all 727-100s on the register
- Registration
- HCBRF · no longer on the register · serial 19388
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE CARGO TRUCK DRIVER HAD BEEN PARKED FOR ABOUT 2 HOURS BEHIND THE AIRCRAFT WHICH HE STRUCK. THE RAMP AREA DID NOT HAVE ANY FLOOD LIGHTS. THE AIRCRAFT NAVIGATION, WING TIP, AND WING FLOOD LIGHTS WERE ON. THE NO. 3 ENGINE WAS STARTED AND THE OTHER ENGINES WERE BEING STARTED. THE CARGO DRIVER STARTED HIS TRUCK AND PULLED FORWARD FROM BETWEEN TWO PARKED TRUCKS. AS HE DROVE PAST A MECHANIC WHO WAS OPERATING THE AIR START CART AT THE RIGHT REAR OF THE AIRCRAFT HE TURNED AND WAVED TO THE MECHANIC. AS THE DRIVER TURNED BACK AROUND THE TRUCK STRUCK THE REAR OF THE RIGHT WING TIP WITH THE LEFT WINDSHIELD AREA. PORTIONS OF THE AIRCRAFT WING REMAINED EMBEDDED IN THE TRUCK CAB. THE DRIVER RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES. THE TRUCK ROLLED FOR ANOTHER 400 FEET BEFORE IT STRUCK AN AIRCRAFT TUG WHICH WAS CONNECTED TO ANOTHER AIRCRAFT AND CAME TO REST.
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: foreign licence
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,500 hours in all; 8,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Unknown
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 59,000 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 21, 1994; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 169,000 lb
- Seats: 7
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIA at 5:25 am
- Destination: CEGU Guayaquil OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:52 am from MIA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 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.