ValuJet Flight 592
ValuJet Airlines Flight 592 was a regularly scheduled flight from Miami to Atlanta. On May 11, 1996, the ValuJet Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9 operating the route crashed into the Everglades about 10 minutes after departing Miami as a result of a fire in the cargo compartment possibly caused by mislabeled and improperly stored hazardous cargo. All 110 people on board were killed. The airline already had a poor safety record before the crash, and the accident brought widespread attention to the airline's problems. ValuJet's fleet was grounded for several months after the accident. When operations resumed, the airline was unable to attract as many customers as it had before the accident. It acquired AirTran Airways in 1997, but the lingering damage to the ValuJet name led its executives to assume the AirTran name. It is also the deadliest plane crash in Florida as of now.
N904VJ, the accident aircraft, May 1995 | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | May 11, 1996 |
| Summary | In-flight fire caused by improperly packaged cargo leading to loss of control and/or pilot incapacitation |
| Site | Miami-Dade County, Florida 25°54′47″N 80°34′41″W |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 |
| Operator | ValuJet Airlines |
| IATA flight No. | J7592 |
| ICAO flight No. | VJA592 |
| Call sign | Critter 592 |
| Registration | N904VJ |
| Flight origin | Miami International Airport |
| Destination | William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport |
| Occupants | 110 |
| Passengers | 105 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 110 |
| Survivors | 0 |