Boeing 737-4Q8 accident near Miami, Florida, September 6, 1995
On September 6, 1995 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Boeing 737-4Q8, registered N405KW, was substantially damaged in an accident near Miami, Florida (Miami International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 78 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE COMPANY DRIVER OF THE VEHICLE (PAYMOVER) AND UNCOMMANDED MOVEMENT OF THE PAYMOVER FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 1995 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 78 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-4Q8 · all 737-4Q8s on the register
- Registration
- N405KW · no longer on the register · serial 24704
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A GROUND SUPPORT EMPLOYEE WAS ATTEMPTING WITHOUT ASSISTANCE TO CONNECT THE TOWBAR TO THE PAYMOVER TO PUSH BACK THE AIRPLANE FROM THE GATE. THE PAYMOVER REPORTEDLY MOVED UNCOMMANDED REARWARD AND COLLIDED WITH OTHER GROUND EQUIPMENT. THE ENGINE OF THE PAYMOVER WAS SHUT DOWN AND A GROUND SUPPORT SUPERVISOR BOARDED THE PAYMOVER TO AGAIN ATTEMPT TO PUSHBACK THE AIRPLANE. THE SUPERVISOR STATED THAT WHILE STANDING ON THE PAYMOVER WITH THE PARKING BRAKE RELEASED AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE, THE PAYMOVER MOVED UNCOMMANDED FORWARD. ATTEMPTS TO STOP IT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE PAYMOVER COLLIDED WITH THE TOWBAR THEN WITH A GROUND POWER UNIT WHICH WAS PUSHED INTO THE FUSELAGE. THE NORMAL BRAKE SYSTEM WHICH WAS NOT REPAIRED AFTER THE ACCIDENT WAS OPERATIONALLY TESTED AFTER THE ACCIDENT; NO DEFECTS WERE NOTED. OPERATIONAL TEST OF NEUTRAL SAFETY SWITCH COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE MALFUNCTION. SIMILAR DISCREPANCIES REGARDING UNCOMMANDED MOVEMENT OF THE PAYMOVER WERE REPORTED.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,276 hours in all; 5,455 in this make and model; 176 in the last 90 days; 58 in the last 30 days; 8,197 as pilot in command; 68 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 10,624 hours
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, August 19, 1995; 154 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 138,500 lb
- Seats: 167
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM-56-3C-1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Carnival Air Lines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: MIA
- Destination: MTPP Port-Au-Prince OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 130° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 2,900 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from MIA, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 72 |
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.