Bombardier CRJ accident near Atlanta, Georgia, September 17, 2000
On September 17, 2000 at about 10:20 pm local time, a Bombardier CRJ, registered N853AS, was involved in an accident near Atlanta, Georgia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 50 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The inadvertent flight into turbulent weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 2000 · about 10:20 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 50 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bombardier CRJ
- Registration
- N853AS · registry record · serial 7374
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the Captain and Flight Attendant, the flight from Worcester, Massachusetts, was smooth at (Flight Level) FL350 until passing the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area, at which time an area of light to moderate turbulence was entered. The Captain instructed the Flight Attendant to take her seat, and turned on the fasten seat belt sign. Flight altitude was changed three times looking for a smoother ride. The flight continued on, in relatively smooth air for two or three minutes then moderate turbulence, for one to two minutes. After entering an area of smooth air, the Flight Attendant continued her duties of preparing the cabin for landing. Without warning, the airplane entered another area of turbulence and the Flight Attendant was thrown about the cabin, injuring her ankles.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,860 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,829 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 298 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 51,000 lb
- Seats: 53
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF34-3B1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORH Worcester MA at 8:15 pm
- Destination: ATL Altanta GA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 20,000 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:53 pm from ATL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 48 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.