# Accident 19980418007069A: Boeing 7472F6B, New York, NY, April 18, 1998

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: April 18, 1998, 14:37 local time
- Place: New York, NY
- Airport: John F Kennedy International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Normal Cruise
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: TWRA
- Location: 40.6399° N, 73.7787° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at JOHN F KENNEDY INTL (JFK), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=40.6399&lon=-73.7787&mi=10
- Aircraft: N623FF (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 7472F6B
- Reported engine: GE CF650E2
- People aboard: 399
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 20,000 total, 8,300 in this make and model, 181 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB NYC98FA094](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98FA094) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19980418007069A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

TOWER AIR ENCOUNTERED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE, 37 PASSENGERS AND 1 FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECEIVED MINOR INJ. NEW YORK, NY (.4)THE FLIGHT WAS CROSSING THE ATLANTIC OCEAN FROM PARIS FRANCE, TO NEW YORK, NEW YORK.  THE FLIGHT CREW HAD BEEN BRIEFED ON THE POSSIBILITY OF ENCOUNTERING CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE.  THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS TURNED ON ABOUT 30 TO 45 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ENCOUNTER, AND ANNOUNCEMENTS WERE MADE IN BOTH FRENCH AND ENGLISH FOR THE PASSENGERS TO FASTEN THEIR SEAT BELTS.  AN ADDITIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE ABOUT 10 MINUTES BEFORE THE ENCOUNTER.  MEAL SERVICE WAS TAKING PLACE IN THE MAIN CABIN AND THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE NOT SEATED.  THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE AND SEVERAL UNSECURED PASSENGERS AND FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE TOSSED ABOUT.  IN ADDITION TWO SEAT BELT FITTING FAILED UNDER THE LOADS. METALLURGICAL EXAMINATION OF THE FAILED FITTINGS FOUND INTERGRANULAR FAILURE.  A CHECK OF ADDITIONAL FITTINGS REVEALED SPECIFIED METALLURGY.                                                 (-23) NO NARRATIVE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB NYC98FA094](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC98FA094), Apr 18, 1998: Boeing 747-200 (N623FF), Atlantic Ocean (Atlantic Ocean), minor damage. Probable cause: The injured passengers failure to follow the directions to fasten their seat belts, prior to an encounter with clear air turbulence.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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