- Date
- March 23, 1991, 18:15 local (23:15 UTC)
- Place
- Buffalo, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 3 minor, 39 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7449UBoeing 727-222
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Status
- Completed · report February 8, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19910323009299A
- Case key
- 15029
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
A clear air turbulence encounter.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The aircraft was in cruise flight at FL 310 when it encountered clear air turbulence. A flight attendant in the aft galley was seriously injured. Two flight attendants in the cabin, and a passenger who was in the lavatory received minor injuries. The weather briefing contained a forecast for the possibility of turbulence. The flight was diverted to an alternate airport to provide medical assistance to the injured persons.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7449U
- Reported as
- Boeing 727-222
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 21903
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-15, 15,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Unknown · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- MHT · Manchester, NH
- Destination
- ORD · Chicago, IL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- NONE
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 59
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Flight hours
- 16,033 total · 10,200 as pilot in command · 151 in the last 90 days · 67 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Dusk
- Wind
- 230° at 15 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 5,500 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 48 °F, dew point 43 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BUF, 30 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.