# Accident 19970807021309A: Doug DC861, Miami, FL, August 7, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 7, 1997, 11:36 local time
- Place: Miami, FL
- Airport: Miami International
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: FXLA
- Location: 25.7941° N, 80.3061° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs from the FAA’s distance and direction from , within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=25.7941&lon=-80.3061&mi=10
- Aircraft: N27UA, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N27UA-1998-01-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-61 (registry code 302195B, https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-dc-8-61) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DOUG DC861
- Reported engine: PWA JT3D3B
- People aboard: 5
- Fatal injuries: 5
- Pilot flight hours: 12,154 total, 216 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DCA97MA059](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA97MA059) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970807021309A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

AIRCRAFT CRASHED INTO A FIELD AND A HIGHWAY ON TAKEOFF. (.4): ON AUGUST 7, 1997, AT 1236 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A DOUGLAS DC-8-61, N27UA, OPERATED BY FINE AIRLINES INC. (FINE AIR) AS FLIGHT 101, CRASHED AFTER TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 27R AT MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, MIAMI, FLORIDA. THE THREE FLIGHTCREW MEMBERS AND ONE SECURITY GUARD ON BOARD WERE KILLED, AND A MOTORIST WAS KILLED ON THE GROUND. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED BY IMPACT AND A POSTCRASH FIRE. THE CARGO FLIGHT, WITH A SCHEDULED DESTINATION OF SANTO DOMINGO, DOMINICAN REPUBLIC, WAS CONDUCTED ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN AND OPERATED UNDER TITLE 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 121 AS A SUPPLEMENTAL AIR CARRIER. PRIOR TO TAKEOFF, THE AIRPLANE WAS MISLOADED TO PRODUCE A MORE AFT CENTER OF GRAVITY AND A CORRESPONDINGLY INCORRECT STABILIZER TRIM SETTING.  THIS PRECIPITATED AN EXTREME PITCH-UP AT ROTATION.  BECAUSE OF THE INCORRECT STABILIZER TRIM SETTING THE PILOTS COULD NOT GAIN ADEQUATE CONTROL OF THE AIRPLANE BEFORE IT STRUCK THE GROUND  :

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DCA97MA059](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA97MA059), Aug 7, 1997: Douglas DC-8-61 (N27UA), Miami, FL, destroyed, 5 fatal. Probable cause: The airplane being misloaded to produce a more aft center of gravity and a correspondingly incorrect stabilizer trim setting that precipitated an extreme pitch-up at rotation, was (1) the failure of…

## Other reports on N27UA (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 19970704029029I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970704029029I), Jul 4, 1997: Doug DC861 (N27UA), Miami, FL, Minor damage. Narrative: on July 4, 1997, at about 2155 eastern daylight time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-8-61, N27UA, registered to argo air associates, operated by fine…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.