American Airlines Flight 625

American Airlines Flight 625
	Crash site
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 / 18.34111°N 64.96083°W
Total fatalities	37
Total injuries	39
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Boeing 727-23
Operator	American Airlines
Registration	N1963
Flight origin	T. F. Green Airport, Providence, Rhode Island
Stopover	John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, 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

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 on board died in the accident.^[1]

Accident[edit]

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 in an attempt at a go-around. 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) 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[edit]

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

Notes[edit]

^ 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[edit]

^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-95 N1963 Saint Thomas-Harry S. Truman Airport (STT)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
^ "FAA Registry (N1963)". Federal Aviation Administration.
^ "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. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2020-02-08.
^ http://www.airliners.net, photos of American Inter-Island Convair 440 aircraft at St. Thomas airport (advanced search)
^ "Convair CV-440 / American Inter-Island". antilles-air-boats. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
^ 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[edit]

Accident description at the Aviation Safety Network
NTSB Accident Investigation Report (PDF file) - Copy from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

[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.

[2] Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Boeing 727-95 N1963 Saint Thomas-Harry S. Truman Airport (STT)". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved 2020-02-08.

[3] "FAA Registry (N1963)". Federal Aviation Administration.

[4] "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. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-04-08. Retrieved 2020-02-08.

[5] ttp://www.airliners.net, photos of American Inter-Island Convair 440 aircraft at St. Thomas airport (advanced search)

[6] "Convair CV-440 / American Inter-Island". antilles-air-boats. Retrieved 2020-07-17.

[7] Quiroga, Rodrigo (2012). "Chapter 7". Borges and Memory: Encounters with the Human Brain. MIT Press. pp. 101–102. ISBN 9780262304955.

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v t e Aviation accidents and incidents in the United States and U.S. territories in the 1970s
1970	Cornfield Bomber Eastern Air Lines Shuttle Flight 1320 Trans International Airlines Flight 863 Wichita State University football team plane crash Southern Airways Flight 932 Capitol International Airways Flight C2C3/26
1971	B-52C Lake Michigan crash Colorado Aviation Aero Commander 680 crash Hughes Airwest Flight 706 Allegheny Airlines Flight 485 Pan Am Flight 845 Alaska Airlines Flight 1866 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 305 (see D. B. Cooper)
1972	Mohawk Airlines Flight 405 Delta Air Lines Flight 9570 American Airlines Flight 96 Prinair Flight 191 Lake Winnebago mid-air collision Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 710 Delta Air Lines Flight 841 Sacramento Canadair Sabre accident Southern Airways Flight 49 United Air Lines Flight 553 Chicago–O'Hare runway collision Eastern Air Lines Flight 401 Puerto Rico DC-7 crash
1973	DeKalb–Peachtree Airport Learjet crash Ozark Air Lines Flight 809 Delta Air Lines Flight 723 TWA Flight 742 World Airways Flight 802 Texas International Airlines Flight 655 Pan Am Flight 160 National Airlines Flight 27 Iberia Flight 933
1974	Commonwealth Commuter Flight 317 Pan Am Flight 806 Delta Air Lines Flight 523 Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 TWA Flight 514 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 6231
1975	Golden West Airlines Flight 261 Eastern Air Lines Flight 66 Wien Air Alaska Flight 99 Overseas National Airways Flight 032
1976	Alaska Airlines Flight 60 American Airlines Flight 625 Air Manila Flight 702 TWA Flight 355
1977	Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 1045 Southern Airways Flight 242 Delta Air Lines Flight 1080 Encino helicopter crash Lynyrd Skynyrd plane crash Air Indiana Flight 216 United Airlines Flight 2860 Vieques Air Link crash
1978	Continental Airlines Flight 603 United Airlines Flight 696 National Airlines Flight 193 Pacific Southwest Airlines Flight 182 Air Caribbean Flight 309 TWA Flight 541 United Airlines Flight 173
1979	TWA Flight 841 American Airlines Flight 191 Downeast Airlines Flight 46 Air New England Flight 248 American Airlines Flight 293 American Airlines Flight 444
This list is incomplete. ALM Flight 980 ditched in waters near St. Croix. Flying Tiger Line Flight 45 occurred in the United States Civil Administration of the Ryukyu Islands

Accident[edit]

In popular culture[edit]

See also[edit]

Notes[edit]

References[edit]

External links[edit]