- Date
- February 3, 2000, 08:00 local (13:00 UTC)
- Place
- Boston, MA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 59 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N397USBoeing 737-300
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 29, 2000
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20000203038769A
- Case key
- 48856
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
In flight encounter with turbulence.
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
While in cruise flight, the airplane encountered turbulence, and the flight attendants returned to their seats. The turbulence continued, and a cart began to break free. A flight attendant attempted to push the cart with her foot, and suffered a fracture.
Factual narrative
On February 3, 2000, about 0800 Eastern Standard Time, a Boeing 737-300, N397US, encountered turbulence after departure from General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport, Boston, Massachusetts. There was no damage to the airplane, which was owned and operated by US Airways as flight 6509. There were no injuries to 4 crewmembers and 55 passengers, while 1 crewmember was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight destined for Ronald Regan Washington National Airport, Washington, DC. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the air carrier flight conducted under 14 CFR part 121.
The manager of Flight Safety at US Airways stated:
"The flight was dispatched with MEL No. 22-3, yaw damper inop. After level off and during initial passenger service the flight began to encounter turbulence that became progressively worse. The flight attendant returned the serving cart to its stowage bin and then strapped into her jumpseat. During the continued turbulence the cart began to break free. On instinct the flight attendant put up her foot to hold the cart; however, it pushed her foot backwards. At first, the flight attendant assumed her foot was just bruised and would get better on its own, it did not. She visited her own doctor who diagnosed that she had fractured the 5th metatarsal base of her left foot."
Aircraft
- Registration
- N397US
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-300
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23319
- Engine
- Cfm CFM56-3B2, 20,000 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- US Airways
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- BOS · MA
- Destination
- DCA · Washington, DC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- BOS · Logan Int'L Airport
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
- 47
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 4,700 in this make and model · 150 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 13 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 16,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 18 °F, dew point -0 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- BOS
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.