ValuJet Flight 592
Aerial view of the crash site | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | May 11, 1996 |
| Summary | In-flight fire leading to loss of control |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| N904VJ, the aircraft involved in the accident, seen in 1995 | |
| 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, Miami, Florida |
| Destination | William B. Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Occupants | 110 |
| Passengers | 105 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 110 |
| Survivors | 0 |
ValuJet Flight 592 was a regularly scheduled flight from Miami to Atlanta in the United States. On May 11, 1996, the ValuJet Airlines McDonnell Douglas DC-9 operating the route crashed into the Florida Everglades about 10 minutes after departing Miami due to a fire in the cargo compartment. The fire was caused by mislabeled and improperly stored chemical oxygen generators. All 110 people on board were killed.
ValuJet, a low-cost carrier, already had a poor safety record before the crash and the incident brought widespread attention to the airline's problems. Its fleet was grounded for several months after the crash. When operations resumed, the airline was unable to attract as many customers as it had before the deadly crash. The airline acquired AirTran Airways in 1997 but the lingering damage to the ValuJet brand led its executives to assume the AirTran name. It is the deadliest plane crash in Florida history as of 2026.