Douglas DC-10-30 and Airbus Industrie A-310-222 incident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, July 9, 1987
On July 9, 1987 at about 3:21 pm local time, 2 aircraft, Douglas DC-10-30 (YV135) and Airbus Industrie A-310-222 (N804PA), were involved in the same incident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. No one was hurt; 202 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- July 9, 1987 · about 3:21 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 202 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft 1
- Douglas DC-10-30 · all DC-10-30s on the register
- Registration
- YV135 · no longer on the register · serial 46971
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
- Aircraft 2
- Airbus Industrie A-310-222 A310-222
- Registration
- N804PA · registry record · serial 339
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative for the Douglas DC-10-30 final · quoted from the NTSB record
A MCDONNELL DOUGLAS DC-10 (VIASA FLT 800) & AN AIRBUS A310 (PAN AM FLT 221) WERE INVOLVED IN A NEAR COLLISION WHILE ON INTL FLTS OVR THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON (AIRWAY) AMBER 300. BOTH ACFT WERE OPERG UNDER IFR & WERE IN A NON-RADAR ENVIRONMENTW/O DRCT RADIO CTC WITH AN ATC FACILITY. COMMUNICATION BTN THE ACFT & ATC WAS THRU ARINC, A COMMERCIAL COMPANY. WHILE SOUTHBOUND AT FL 370, FLT 221 MADE A REQ THRU ARINC TO CLIMB TO FL 390. WHEN THE CONTROLLER (CTLR) AT NEW YORK CENTER OCEANIC CTL RCVD THE REQ, HE COORDINATED WITH SAN JUAN ARTCC & SCANNED HIS BOARD, BUT SAW NO CONFLICTS & APPROVED THE REQ. AFTER LVLG AT FL 390, FLT 221 CONVERGED HEAD-ON WITH FLT 800 WHICH WAS NORTHBOUND AT THE SAME ALT. THE AIRCREW OF FLT 800 TOOK EVASIVE ACTN; THE CREW OF FLT 221 ELECTED NOT TO MNVR. THE CAPT OF FLT 800 SAID HE ESTD THE ACFT PASSED WITH 500' TO 1000' HRZNTL SEPN & 350' VRT SEPN. THE CTLR HAD JUST COME ON DUTY. AFTER FLT 800 HAD PREVIOUSLY PASSED A MANDATORY RPRTG POINT, ITS STRIP HAD BEEN REMOVED FM THE CTLR'S BOARD SINCE THE NEXT INTXN WAS A NON-RPRTG FIX.
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 NTSB's narrative for the Airbus Industrie A-310-222 final · quoted from the NTSB record
A MCDONNELL DOUGLAS DC-10 (VIASA FLT 800) & AN AIRBUS A310 (PAN AM FLT 221) WERE INVOLVED IN A NEAR COLLISION WHILE ON INTL FLTS OVR THE ATLANTIC OCEAN ON (AIRWAY) AMBER 300. BOTH ACFT WERE OPERG UNDER IFR & WERE IN A NON-RADAR ENVIRONMENTW/O DRCT RADIO CTC WITH AN ATC FACILITY. COMMUNICATION BTN THE ACFT & ATC WAS THRU ARINC, A COMMERCIAL COMPANY. WHILE SOUTHBOUND AT FL 370, FLT 221 MADE A REQ THRU ARINC TO CLIMB TO FL 390. WHEN THE CONTROLLER (CTLR) AT NEW YORK CENTER OCEANIC CTL RCVD THE REQ, HE COORDINATED WITH SAN JUAN ARTCC & SCANNER HIS BOARD, BUT SAW NO CONFLICTS & APPROVED THE REQ. AFTER LVLG AT FL 390, FLT 221 CONVERGED HEAD-ON WITH FLT 800 WHICH WAS NORTHBOUND AT THE SAME ALT. THE AIRCREW OF FLT 800 TOOK EVASIVE ACTN; THE CREW OF FLT 221 ELECTED NOT TO MNVR. THE CAPT OF FLT 800 SAID HE ESTD THE ACFT PASSED WITH 500' TO 1000' HRZNTL SEPN & 350' VRT SEPN. THE CTLR HAD JUST COME ON DUTY. AFTER FLT 800 HAD PREVIOUSLY PASSED A MANDATORY RPRTG POINT, ITS STRIP HAD BEEN REMOVED FM THE CTLR'S BOARD SINCE THE NEXT INTXN WAS A NON-RPRTG FIX.
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 for the Douglas DC-10-30 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme, July 1, 1987; 81 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 580,000 lb
- Seats: 300
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SVMI Crcs,Venezuela OF
- Destination: JFK Jamaica NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 8 knots
- Sky: scat at 39,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 18 | |||
| Passengers | 91 |
The factual record for the Airbus Industrie A-310-222 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,500 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 84 in the last 90 days; 33 in the last 30 days; 3,200 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,025 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 313,100 lb
- Seats: 280
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT9D-7R4-600 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JFK Jamaica NY at 8:30 am
- Destination: STT St Thomas
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 10 | |||
| Passengers | 83 |
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.
Other NTSB records under YV135 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.