Boeing 737-823 accident near Miami, Florida, April 7, 2008
On April 7, 2008 at about 2:00 am local time, a Boeing 737-823, registered N947AN, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Miami, Florida (Miami International Airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 146 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
Preview. This page is not yet listed for search engines.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An unexpected encounter with turbulence, during the initial descent for landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 7, 2008 · about 2:00 am local time
- Place
- Miami, Florida · Miami International Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 146 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-823 · all 737-823s on the register
- Registration
- N947AN · registry record · serial 29536
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Boeing 737-800 encountered turbulence while descending for arrival. The pilot flying (captain) stated that 26 minutes before the scheduled landing he asked the flight attendants to prepare the cabin earlier than normal due to convective weather along the route of flight. Ten minutes after the announcement the airplane encountered turbulence. The pilot reported that both of the airplane's weather radar systems were turned on, and were scanning at 40 and 80 miles range respectively. He reported that the returns showed no convective activity in the immediate area. Two flight attendants were in the aft galley area, after having secured the main cabin for landing, when the turbulence was encountered. During the encounter the attendants were thrown to the ceiling and one sustained a fractured ankle.
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
What happened, in order
- Turbulence encounter during enroute (descent) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › (general) › Not specified
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,100 hours in all; 3,600 in this make and model; 88 in the last 90 days; 40 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 1, 2008
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,000 hours in all; 1,500 in this make and model; 147 in the last 90 days; 28 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,788 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 174,200 lb
- Seats: 148
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm International CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm International CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MMUN Cancun
- Destination: MIA Miami FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 9, 13,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 190° at 22 knots, gusting 31
- Visibility: 0.5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,600 ft; scat at 500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:59 am from MIA, 80 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 142 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number NYC08CA156.