Boeing 757-223 accident near La Paz, Bl, September 20, 1998
On September 20, 1998 at about 9:55 am local time, a Boeing 757-223, registered N650AA, was substantially damaged in an accident near La Paz. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 162 people were on board or involved. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 20, 1998 · about 9:55 am local time
- Place
- La Paz, Saint Barthélemy
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 162 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-223 · all 757-223s on the register
- Registration
- N650AA · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Not recorded
- Operator: American Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: KMIA Miami FL
- Destination: SLLP
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Wind: from 090° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 1 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 20,000 ft; scat at 1,300 ft
- Temperature: 34°F (1°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 am from SLL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| Passengers | 153 |
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.