Boeing 707-323C accident near Baltimore, Maryland, April 3, 1983
On April 3, 1983 at about 2:45 am local time, a Boeing 707-323C, registered N8415, was involved in an accident near Baltimore, Maryland. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 190 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 3, 1983 · about 2:45 am local time
- Place
- Baltimore, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 190 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 707-323C · all 707-323Cs on the register
- Registration
- N8415 · registry record · serial 200087
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE ABOUT 20-25 MIN PRIOR TO LANDING. THE FLT ATTENDANTS WERE RETRIEVING CUPS & TRASH AT THE CONCLUSION OF A HOT MEAL SERVICE. AN ATTENDANT WAS THROWN UPWARD STRIKING THE CEILING, THEN FELL TO THE FLOOR CAUSING A LOWER BACK INJURY. THE FLT WAS IN THE VICINITY OF SEVERAL THUNDERSTORMS WHEN THE TURBULENCE, CHARACTERIZED AS 'HEAVY' OR'SEVERE' WAS ENCOUNTERED. A PA ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE EARLY IN THE FLT THAT TURBULENCE WAS EXPECTED & THAT THE SEAT BELT SIGN WOULD BE LEFT ON DURING THE FLT. THE ATTENDANTS WERE INSTRUCTED BY THE CAPTAIN TO PROVIDE THE SCHEDULED MEAL SERVICE. THE SENIOR ATTENDANT STATED SHE WAS TOLD BY THE CAPTAIN EARLIER IN THE FLT THAT SHE COULD HAVE THE OTHER ATTENDANTS TAKE THEIR SEATS (BECAUSE OF TURBULENCE) AT HER DISCRETION & THE CAPTAIN WOULD MAKE A PA ANNOUNCEMENT IF THE WX WORSENED. SHE ALSO STATED SHE THOUGHT SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN FIRED IF SHE CHOSE NOT TO PROVIDE THE MEAL SERVICE FOR SAFETY REASONS. THE FLT ATTENDANTS STATED THEY WERE NOT GIVEN ANY WARNING.
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: 30,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 36,986 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 328,000 lb
- Seats: 193
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT3D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Global Int'L Airways
The flight
- Departed from: MCO Orlando FL at 1:15 am
- Destination: BWI
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 110° at 18 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 46°F (8°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from BWI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 6 | ||
| Passengers | 184 |
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.