On December 17, 1992, a Boeing 727-225A (registration N804MA) operated by Miami Air International, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Miami, FL. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: THE FAILURE OF THE WINDOW PANE FOR UNDETERMINED REASONS. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A passenger suffered minor injuries after an airplane window blew out during descent from FL310, while another received cuts when their arm was pulled through the opening.
What happened
The aircraft was in the process of descending from flight level 310 when a sudden decompression event occurred. The window located adjacent to seat 29F failed and blew out during this phase of flight. As a result of the breach, one passenger sustained minor ear injuries. Another passenger had their arm sucked out through the opening, resulting in minor cuts and scrapes.
The investigation
Investigators were unable to recover any parts of the outer window pane for examination. Without these components, it was not possible to determine the specific mechanical failures or causes that led to the window's failure.
