# NTSB IAD02LA007: Boeing 757-223, N640A, Dulles, VA, October 30, 2001 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: October 29, 2001, 19:50 local (Oct 30, 2001, 00:50 UTC) - Place: Dulles, VA - Coordinates: 38.944442, -77.455558 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.9444&lon=-77.4556&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Standing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/150) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 148 uninjured - Status: Completed, report October 24, 2002 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 53704 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=IAD02LA007 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/53704/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/IAD02LA007 ## Probable cause A passenger sustained a broken ankle during an emergency evacuation. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - Miscellaneous/other, standing - evacuation - performed, passenger (cause) ## Analysis About 40 minutes after takeoff, a passenger found a threatening note when she extended her seat back tray. The note was given to a flight attendant, who informed the flightcrew of its contents. The flightcrew declared an emergency, diverted to another airport, and landed uneventfully. An emergency evacuation was conducted, during which one passenger broke her ankle, while exiting the bottom of the emergency slide. She was transported to the hospital, treated for her injuries, and returned to the airport to continue on the flight. ## Factual narrative On October 29, 2001, about 1950 eastern standard time, a Boeing 757-223, N640A, operating as American Airlines flight 785, performed an unscheduled landing and emergency evacuation at Washington/Dulles International Airport, Dulles, Virginia, after a threatening note was found by a passenger. The 2 certificated airline transport pilots, 6 flight attendants, and 140 passengers were not injured. One passenger was seriously injured. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that originated at LaGuardia International Airport, New York, New York, at 1819, destined for Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas, Texas. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the passenger flight conducted under 14 CFR part 121. According to statements provided by flight attendants, the threatening note was found by a passenger in seat 11F when she extended her seat back tray, around 1900. The note was immediately given to a flight attendant, who informed the flight crew of its contents. The flightcrew reported that after they reviewed the note, they declared an emergency and diverted to Washington/Dulles International Airport. The airplane landed uneventfully at 1945, and was taxied onto a taxiway where the captain instructed the flight attendants to conduct an emergency evacuation using the slides. All eight slides deployed normally; however, during the evacuation, one passenger broke her ankle while exiting the bottom of the slide. She was transported to the hospital, treated for her injuries, and returned to the airport to continue on the flight. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N640A](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N640A-2023-02-04), registration cancelled 2023-02-04, S/N 24598, built 1991 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Boeing 757-223 - Registry model: [Boeing 757-223](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-223) (registry code 1384957) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Rolls-Royce RB-211 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-rb-211-series) (registry code 54555, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24598 - Engines: General Electric turbo fan; General Electric turbo fan - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: American Airlines Inc, doing business as American Airlines - Registered owner: American Airlines Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: LGA, New York, NY - Destination: DFW, Dallas, TX - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: IAD, Washington Dulles Int'l Arpt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 52; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: left; flight hours: 5,000 total, 1,000 in this make and model, 3,000 as pilot in command, 150 in the last 90 days, 50 in the last 30 days, 10 in the last 24 hours - Co-pilot; age 39; injuries: none; airline transport, military, flight engineer; airplane ratings: single-engine sea, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: right; flight hours: 2,540 total, 1,700 as pilot in command, 90 in the last 90 days, 20 in the last 30 days, 10 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: calm - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: none - Temperature: 39 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 30.45 inHg - Observed at: IAD ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20011029031989A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20011029031989A), Oct 29, 2001: Boeing 757223, Anderson, IN, No damage. (-23) American airlines flight 785 from lga to dfw with 141 passengers and crew of 8 diverted to iad when a passenger (11F) opened a tray and found a note… 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. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.