MIA83FA027

NTSB accident investigation · Boeing 707-300 · Miami, FL · November 11, 1982

Accident · FatalField investigationFinal report
Date
November 11, 1982, 10:30 local (15:30 UTC)
Place
Miami, FL
Injuries
1 fatal, 3 uninjured
Damage
No damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N707GBBoeing 707-300
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report November 11, 1983
Report
Approved by Office Director
Case key
71683

From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.

On this page

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.

DecompressionClimb
Air cond/heating/pressurization - fluctuatingCause

Analysis

During climbout from Miami, a cabin pressurization problem was encountered. All crew members donned their oxygen masks & the cabin altitude stabilized at 20,000 ft as the acft was leveled at 33,000 ft. about 40 minutes from destination the flight engineer trainee/observer queried the first officer as to how much longer the flight would take. Moments later the trainee started to slump down. The flight engineer traded masks with him and verified that the oxygen supply was normal. An emergency descent was made to 6,000 ft while first aid was administered. An ambulance met the flight at the destination & transported the trainee to a hospital where he expired later in the day. Cause of death was later diagnosed as aeroembolism (by exclusion). The trainee had a clinical history of seizures & loss of consciousness following decompression. The pressurization problem was reportedly related to a stuck outflow valve.

Aircraft

Registration
N707GB
Reported as
Boeing 707-300
Category
Airplane
Serial number
18808
Engine
P & W JT3D, 18,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
Damage
No damage
Flight
Part 121
Operator
Arrow Airways
Registered owner
International Air Leases, Inc.
Departed
C · Miami, FL
Destination
C · Dominican Repub
Flight plan
IFR

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
38
Certificate
Airline transport
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
Flight hours
10,000 total · 1,500 in this make and model

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day