LACSA Flight 628
Líneas Aéreas Costarricences Boeing 727-22 · Takeoff aborted due to aircraft control problems controlling pitch during rotation
From Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO) to Augusto C. Sandino (Managua) International Airport (MGA)
Event
- Event typeAccident: someone killed or seriously injured, or the aircraft substantially damaged (NTSB definition). Incident: an occurrence that affected or could have affected safety, short of that. Glossary
- Accident
- Event fatalities
- 0 · all aircraft and ground
- Ground fatalities
- Unknown
- Occupants
- 24
- Survivors
- 24
- InjuriesFatal: death within 30 days. Serious: over 48 hours in hospital within a week, most broken bones, severe bleeding, nerve or organ damage, or serious burns. Minor: anything less. Glossary
- Unknown
- OperationWhat kind of flying it was, grouped by the rules it flew under: airline (US Part 121), air taxi and commuter (Part 135), general aviation (Part 91 and similar), military or government. Glossary
- Airline
Boeing 727-22
- Aircraft type
- Boeing 727
- Category
- Airplane · from aircraft type
- RegistrationThe aircraft's tail number, such as N12345 or G-ABCD. Registrations are reissued, so the same one years apart can be a different aircraft. Glossary
- TI-LRC
- Operator
- Líneas Aéreas Costarricences
- Onboard fatalities
- 0
- Route
- From Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO)To Augusto C. Sandino (Managua) International Airport (MGA)
Cause areas
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability
- Personnel issues › Task performance
From the investigation findings the Wikipedia article reports, sorted into the NTSB's cause areas with AI assistance.
Approximate · Estimated position: Juan Santamaría International Airport, the airport the Wikipedia article names as the site. Where on or near it is not known.
From the Wikipedia article
LACSA Flight 628 was a scheduled passenger flight operated by a Boeing 727-100 serving Líneas Aéreas Costarricences. On 23 May 1988, the aircraft crashed while attempting takeoff at Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, Costa Rica. All 24 occupants on board survived the crash.
Accident
The flight was scheduled to fly from Juan Santamaría International Airport in San José, Costa Rica to Augusto Sandino International Airport in Managua, Nicaragua. During takeoff on runway 7, the aircraft reached critical rotation speed (V1) and the captain initiated the takeoff maneuver, but the aircraft did not respond. The crew decided to abort the procedure and initiated an emergency braking maneuver. Unable to stop in the remaining distance of the runway, the aircraft overshot, crossed a ditch and stopped in a field, where it caught fire. All 24 occupants suffered minor injuries, while the aircraft was destroyed by the fire.
Investigation and cause
Investigation
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation of Costa Rica was in charge of the investigations following the accident. The DGAC, in its final report,stated about the possible causes of the accident:
The excess weight in the forward cargo hold shifted the center of gravity forward.
Two additional trim units would have been required for takeoff.
The aircraft did not respond correctly to the pilot's pitch input during the roll phase.
This was caused by an incorrect adjustment of the aircraft's horizontal stabilizer.
Probable Cause
Excessive weight in the forward hold, combined with incorrect horizontal stabilizer trim that shifted the center of gravity forward and caused an improper trim setting, prevented the aircraft from responding as expected to pitch control during rotation.
Text from the Wikipedia article “LACSA Flight 628” (revision 1358213910, retrieved 2026-09-18) by its authors, under CC BY-SA 4.0. Extracted as plain text: references, tables, images and some sections are left out. Read the article
Sources
Wikipedia article: LACSA Flight 628
- Article
- LACSA Flight 628
- Revision
- 1358213910 · 2026-06-07 · retrieved 2026-09-18
- Wikidata
- Q134178375
- Licence
- Text CC BY-SA 4.0, by the article's authors; Wikidata CC0; town positions GeoNames (CC BY 4.0)
Where each value comes from
- Record
- Wikipedia article "LACSA Flight 628" (page 79820853, revision 1358213910)
- Date
- Wikipedia infobox: date
- Place and country
- Wikipedia infobox: site
- Map position
- airport the Wikipedia infobox site links (Wikidata code, OurAirports)
- Aircraft, operator and route
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft type, registration, operator, origin and destination; route airports from the linked airport articles' Wikidata codes (OurAirports)
- Operation
- flight number in the article title
- Fatalities
- Wikipedia infobox: aircraft fatalities
- Ground fatalities
- not stated in the Wikipedia infobox
- Summary
- Wikipedia infobox: summary
Source notes (1)
- Wikipedia · Facts from the Wikipedia article's infobox and coordinates, not checked against an investigation report. Independent review pending.