Lockheed L-1011 accident near Bermuda, AO, September 28, 1987
On September 28, 1987 at about 7:43 pm local time, a Lockheed L-1011, registered N317EA, suffered minor damage in an accident near Bermuda, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 39 people had minor injuries; 99 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
ENCOUNTER WITH UNDETECTABLE CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 28, 1987 · about 7:43 pm local time
- Place
- Bermuda, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 39 people had minor injuries; 99 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Lockheed L-1011
- Registration
- N317EA · registry record · serial 193A-1038
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT WAS CRUISING AT FL310 EN ROUTE BETWEEN PUERTO RICO AND NEW YORK WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE. SEVERAL PASSENGERS AND FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE THROWN ABOUT THE CABIN OF THE AIRCRAFT. ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECEIVED A BROKEN WRIST. THE FLIGHT DIVERTED TO BERMUDA WHERE THE INJURED PASSENGERS WERE TREATED AND RELEASED. THE FLIGHT CREW SAID THEY WERE OPERATING IN CIRRO-STRATUS CLOUDS AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE AND NO ECHOES WERE BEING SHOWN ON THE AIRBORNE RADAR. THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE AND THE CAPTAIN SAID IN AN INTERVIEW THAT HIS NORMAL PROCEDURE WAS TO KEEP THE SIGN ON AT ALL TIMES.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,555 hours in all; 786 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 35,499 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 10, 1987
- Maximum gross weight: 450,000 lb
- Seats: 316
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211/228 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Eastern Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SJU San Juan PR at 8:51 pm
- Destination: JFK Jamaica NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 8 | |
| Passengers | 38 | 91 |
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.