- Date
- October 3, 1990, 20:08 local (Oct 4, 1990, 00:08 UTC)
- Place
- Cape Canaveral, FL
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 2 serious, 23 minor, 71 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8923EMcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Status
- Completed · report March 31, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19901003061859A
- Case key
- 32780
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
Failure of the captain to follow procedures, his improper in-flight planning/decision by allowing the aircraft to continue into the overhang (anvil) of a thunderstorm, failure of the passengers to abide by procedures/instructions concerning use of seat belts, and failure of the flight attendants to enforce the use of seatbelts. The weather condition (turbulence) was a related factor.
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
Eastern airline flt 791 enctrd turbulence while en route at 31,000 ft as it flew thru the overhang of a thunderstorm. Flt thru overhangs was contrary to the company flt opns procedures. Three psgrs rcvd serious injuries & one of these (84 yrs old) died 20 days after the acdnt. The medical examiner listed the cause of death as 'aspiration pneumonia and pneumothorax due to blunt trauma due to commercial airline turbulence encounter.' Contributing to the death was 'occlusive coronary atherosclerosis.' Also, 23 psgrs rcvd minor injuries. According to flt attendants, all injured psgrs were either standing in the aisle or lavaratories or in seats without belts on. The seat belt sign had been on since departure; before departure, flt attendants had briefed the psgrs to remain seated with belts on at all times while the seat belt light was illuminated. Flt attendants indcd that they had not enforced the seat belt instruction.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8923E
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-31
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- DC9-31
- Airframe hours
- 48,282
- Engine
- P&W JT8D-7B, 14,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Eastern Air Lines, doing business as Eastern Air Lines
- Registered owner
- Eastern Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- AAIP · October 1, 1990 · 10 hours before
- Departed
- DCA · Washington, DC
- Destination
- PBI · West Palm Beach, FL
- 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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,275 total · 597 in this make and model · 597 as pilot in command · 188 in the last 90 days · 57 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/bright
- Wind
- 100° at 10 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,000 ft broken
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- X68, 4 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.