- Date
- August 7, 1997, 12:36 local (16:36 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 5 fatal; on the ground: 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N27UADouglas DC-8-61
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 16, 1998
- Report
- Board-adopted at Board Meeting
- Investigation class
- Class 1
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19970807021309A
- Case key
- 11028
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 Fine Air to exercise operational control over the cargo loading process; and (2) the failure of Aeromar to load the airplane as specified by Fine Air. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to adequately monitor Fine Air's operational control responsibilities for cargo loading and the failure of the FAA to ensure that known cargo-related deficiencies were corrected at Fine Air.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
: 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 :
Factual narrative
On August 7, 1997, a Douglas DC-8-61 freighter, Fine Air cargo flight 14, crashed after departure from runway 27R at Miami IAP, Miami, FL. The flight was operated under 14 CFR Part 121 as a supplemental air carrier. The three crewmembers and one security guard onboard were killed. One individual in an automobile on the ground was also killed. The airplane was destroyed by impact and postcrash fire. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time. See NTSB/AAR-98/02 for details.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N27UA
- Reported as
- Douglas DC-8-61
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 45942
- Airframe hours
- 39,891
- Engine
- P&W JT3D-3B, 18,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Fire
- On-Ground
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Fine Airlines, Inc., doing business as Fine Air
- Registered owner
- Fine Airlines, Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- MIA · Miami, FL
- Destination
- SDQ · Santo Domingo
- Flight plan
- Unknown
- Airport
- MIA · Miami International Airpo, runway 27R, 10,502 × 200 ft, asphalt
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 42
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- April 27, 1997
- Seat
- Left
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 12,154 total · 216 in the last 90 days · 100 in the last 30 days · 25 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 93 °F, dew point 79 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- MIA
Docket · 74
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 7, 1997, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 46.7 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N27UA · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.