| Occurrence Type: | Accident |
| American Airlines Flight 625 | |
| Date: | April 27, 1976 |
| Type: | Runway overrun caused by pilot error |
| Site: | Harry S. Truman Airport, St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands |
| Occupants: | 88 |
| Passengers: | 81 |
| Crew: | 7 |
| Injuries: | 38 |
| Fatalities: | 37 |
| Survivors: | 51 |
| Aircraft Type: | Boeing 727-23 |
| Tail Number: | N1963 |
| Operator: | American Airlines |
| 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 |
| Coordinates: | 18.3411°N -64.9608°W |
| Total Fatalities: | 37 |
| Total Injuries: | 39 |
| 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]
The American Airlines Boeing 727-23, registration 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 1040feet until stopped by a gas station. The aircraft was destroyed.
The airport in St. Thomas was notorious among pilots for its short (4658feet) 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 10kn higher than VREF 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 2300feet 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 700feet 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 2300feet down the 4658feet runway, he did not have enough distance to perform a go-around.[2]
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.[3] 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.[4] Jet flights operated by American resumed when a new runway at St. Thomas was constructed with a length of 7000feet.
American Airlines Flight 625 was specifically mentioned in the movie Rain Man.[5]