- Date
- February 8, 2003, 17:04 local (21:04 UTC)
- Place
- San Juan, PR
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 61 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Other
- Aircraft
- N448AMAerospatiale ATR72-212
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 2, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- Case key
- 56489
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 aft passenger stair handrail collapsing due to undetermined reasons.
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
According the airline's director of safety, the airplane had arrived at the terminal and was in the process of deplaning. The director of safety further stated that as the as the 53rd passenger in the sequence of 58 passengers exited the airplane, she grabbed the handrail at the top of the stairs, and the handrail collapsed. He said the passenger fell from the top of the stairs to the ground, and sustained serious injuries. Postincident examination of the hand rail and its locking mechanism did not reveal any anomalies.
Factual narrative
On February 8, 2003, about 1704, Atlantic standard time, an Aerospatiale ATR 72-212, N448AM, registered to AMR Leasing Corporation, and operated by American Eagle Executive Airlines Inc., as flight 5131, a Title 14 CFR Part 121, scheduled international passenger flight, had a passenger that was injured while deplaning at San Juan, Puerto Rico. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan had been filed. The airline transport-rated pilot, first officer, two flight attendants, and 57 passengers were not injured. One passenger received serious injuries. The flight originated from Christ Church, Barbados, the same day, about 1435.
According the airline's director of safety, the airplane had arrived at the terminal and was in the process of deplaning. The director of safety further stated that as the as the 53rd passenger in the sequence of 58 passengers exited the airplane, she grabbed the handrail at the top of the stairs, and the handrail collapsed. He said the passenger fell from the top of the stairs to the ground, and sustained serious injuries. Postincident examination of the hand rail and its locking mechanism did not reveal any anomalies.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N448AM
- Reported as
- Aerospatiale ATR72-212
- Category
- Airplane
- Airframe hours
- 16,696
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney Canada PW127TM, turbo propPratt & Whitney Canada PW127TM, turbo prop
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Eagle Executive Airlines Inc., doing business as American Eagle
- Registered owner
- AMR Leasing Corporation
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 12, 2003 · 138 hours before
- Departed
- BGI · Barbados
- Destination
- SJU · San Juan, PR
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SJU · Luis Munoz Marin International
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- January 12, 2003
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 4,600 total · 1,300 in this make and model · 3,400 as pilot in command · 140 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 30
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- November 22, 2002
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 1,700 total · 150 in this make and model · 1,100 as pilot in command · 135 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 80° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.04 inHg
- Observed at
- SJU
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 30, 2004, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 676 KB in all.