NTSB CAROL · Event
Event MIA88LA236
Aircraft involved
Factual narrative
FLT ENTERED NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT WHILE FLYING IN AREA OF LEVEL 1 AND 2 THUNDERSTORMS JUST AFTER PLT HAD CALLED REQUESTING PERMISSION TO DEVIATE AROUND RAIN SHOWERS. A LEVEL 5 THUNDERSTORM WAS PRESENT 8 MILES WEST. THE ACFT DESCENDED AT RATES UP TO 13,800 FEET PER MINUTE. WITNESSES SAW ACFT EXIT BOTTOM OF CLOUDS AT APPROX 4,000 FEET IN A NEAR FLAT ATTITUDE AND ROTATING AROUND THE YAW AXIS TO THE LEFT. ENGINE SOUNDS INCREASED AND DECREASED AS THE ACFT ROTATED AND ALL COMPONENTS APPEARED TO BE PRESENT ON THE ACFT. NO SMOKE OR FLAME WAS VISIBLE. AT APPROX 500 FEET ABOVE THE WATER THE ROTATION STOPPED AND THE NOSE DROPPED TO A 30 TO 70 DEGREE NOSE DOWN ANGLE AND BOTH ENGINES COULD BE HEARD INCREASING IN POWER. BEFORE THE RECOVERY COULD BE COMPLETED THE ACFT STRUCK THE OCEAN. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1988_MIA88LA236.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (thunderstorm). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2024 · Journal article (IJAAA)
The Impact of Thunderstorms on Take-off Data in South Africa
Aviation and meteorology are entwined disciplines, as aviation occurs in the atmosphere. Prevailing weather conditions at take-off are of utmost importance to aviation.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Technical Memorandum (TM)
Thunderstorm hazards flight research: Storm hazards 1980 overview
A highly instrumented NASA F-106B aircraft, modified for the storm hazards mission and protected against direct lightning strikes, was used in conjunction with various ground based radar and lightning…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Preprint (Draft being sent to journal)
Nowcasting Thunderstorm Anvil Clouds Over KSC/CCAFS
Electrified thunderstorm anvil clouds extend the threat of natural and triggered lightning to space launch and landing operations far beyond the immediate vicinity of thunderstorm cells.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.
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