- Date
- October 8, 2021, 20:30 local (Oct 9, 2021, 00:30 UTC)
- Place
- Lexington, VA · enroute
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 111 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8642EBoeing 737-8H4
- Defining event
- Enroute: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- FAA, SWA
- FAA report
- 20211008017909A
- Case key
- 104153
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
The airplane’s inadvertent encounter with convective turbulence.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The airplane was in cruise flight when it encountered convective turbulence at flight level (FL) 320. Weather conditions were dark moonless night with scattered storms visible on radar, but the crew reported no returns along their path. A Convective SIGMET was in effect for the area which forecast cloud tops to FL320. The cabin crew was conducting drink service. The flight crew stated they unexpectedly entered a cloud and experienced moderate to borderline severe turbulence. The C flight attendant fell and broke her ankle.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8642E
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-8H4
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 42525
- Built
- 2014
- Engines
- CFM Intl CFM56-7B27E, 27,300 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM Intl CFM56-7B27E, 27,300 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Southwest Airlines Co
- Registered owner
- Southwest Airlines Co
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- KBWI · Baltimore, MD
- Destination
- KATL · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 29,629 total · 4,320 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 13,400 total · 2,658 in this make and model
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- None
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 190° at 4 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.92 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- KLYH, 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.