American Airlines Flight 625

American Airlines Flight 625, a Boeing 727-100, crashed at St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands on April 27, 1976, while on a domestic scheduled passenger flight originating at T. F. Green Airport in Rhode Island and ending at Saint Thomas, United States Virgin Islands, with an intermediate stop at John F. Kennedy International Airport. 37 out of the 88 passengers onboard died in the accident.[1]

American Airlines Flight 625

N1963, the aircraft involved
Accident
Date	April 27, 1976
Summary	Runway overrun caused by pilot error
Site	Harry S. Truman Airport, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands 18°20′28″N 64°57′39″W
Total fatalities	37
Total injuries	39
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 727-23[lower-alpha 1]
Operator	American Airlines
Registration	N1963
Flight origin	T. F. Green Airport, Providence, Rhode Island
Stopover	John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York City, New York
Destination	Harry S. Truman Airport, Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands
Occupants	88
Passengers	81
Crew	7
Fatalities	37
Injuries	38
Survivors	51
Ground casualties
Ground injuries	1

Accident

The American Airlines Boeing 727-23, registration N1963,[2] overran the departure end of Runway 9 when landing at Harry S. Truman airport. The aircraft struck an Instrument Landing System antenna, crashed through a chain link fence, and traveled another 1,040 feet (320 m) until stopped by a gas station. The aircraft was destroyed.

The airport in St. Thomas was notorious among pilots for its short (4,658 feet (1,420 m)) runway. In fact, the Boeing 727 was the heaviest aircraft type authorized to use it, and even then it was only authorized in one direction.

Ultimately, the NTSB attributed the crash to pilot error on the approach. The maximum flap setting of 40 degrees was never applied, which meant that the aircraft's speed was 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) higher than V_REF as it crossed the runway threshold. This, combined with the fact that the aircraft 'floated' from turbulent winds in the area, meant that it was already 2,300 feet (700 m) down the runway at the point of touchdown. The pilots did not brake, and proceeded to apply full throttle three seconds after touchdown. However, they were unable to reach takeoff speed because the 727's engines are slow-responding, taking about 6.6 seconds to power up. After five seconds of waiting for power, and with only 700 feet (210 m) of runway left, the pilot panicked, according to the report, and applied full brakes. Further, the pilot forgot to apply reverse engine thrust until immediately before impact.

Ultimately, the aircraft ran off the end of the runway and into a Shell gas station, killing 37 (35 passengers and 2 flight attendants:Joan Kranik Carrara and Betty Bender) of the 88 on board. Thirty-eight other passengers and crew were injured, and one person on the ground was seriously injured. The probable cause was the captain's actions and his judgment in not being aware that when he touched down 2,300 feet (700 m) down the 4,658-foot (1,420 m) runway, he did not have enough distance to perform a go-around.[3]

As a result of the crash, American Airlines ended all jet flights to St. Thomas, flying instead to St. Croix (which had a 7,600 foot runway at the time). American Airlines passengers were then flown to St. Thomas in Convair 440 propeller-driven aircraft from St. Croix, with these flights being operated by a wholly owned subsidiary, American Inter-Island Airlines.[4] The Convair 440 aircraft were owned by American Airlines and flown and maintained via contract by Antilles Air Boats, a seaplane operator in the U.S. Virgin Islands.[5] Jet flights operated by American resumed when a new runway at St. Thomas was constructed with a length of 7,000 feet (2,100 m).

In popular culture

American Airlines Flight 625 was specifically mentioned in the movie Rain Man.[6]

See also

• Aviation safety
• List of accidents and incidents involving commercial aircraft

Notes

1. The 100 model has a vertically oblong air inlet to the center engine (dorsal inlet); the 200 model inlet is round. Additionally, the Model 200 is 20 feet longer than the Model 100: 10 feet in front and 10 feet aft of the wing.

References

1. Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-95 N1963 Saint Thomas-Harry S. Truman Airport (STT)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
2. "FAA Registry (N1963)". Federal Aviation Administration.
3. "Aircraft Accident Report: American Airlines, Inc., Boeing 727-95, N1963, St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, April 27, 1976" (PDF). National Transportation Safety Board. 1976-12-16. NTSB-AAR-77-01. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
4. http://www.airliners.net, photos of American Inter-Island Convair 440 aircraft at St. Thomas airport (advanced search)
5. "Convair CV-440 / American Inter-Island". antilles-air-boats. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
6. Quiroga, Rodrigo (2012). "Chapter 7". Borges and Memory: Encounters with the Human Brain. MIT Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 9780262304955.

• United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, CAP479 World Airline Accident Summary Volume 2, ISBN 0-903083-44-2

External links

• Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
• NTSB Accident Investigation Report (PDF file)