Boeing 737 accident near Charleston, West Virginia, November 3, 1985
On November 3, 1985 at about 4:05 pm local time, a Boeing 737, registered N787N, was involved in an accident near Charleston, West Virginia (Unknown airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 58 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
- November 3, 1985 · about 4:05 pm local time
- Place
- Charleston, West Virginia · Unknown · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 58 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N787N · registry record · serial 22-4444-
- 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 FLIGHT DEPARTED WASHINGTON AT ABOUT 1040 EN ROUTE TO CHARLESTON, WV UNDER INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES. THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED WITHOUT INCIDENT, WITH OCCASIONAL LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE DURING THE CLIMB. AS THE FLIGHT CLIMBED THROUGH 26,000 FEET THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED SEVERE TURBULENCE. THE SHORT JOLT TOSSED A FLIGHT ATTENDANT TO THE FLOOR, BREAKING HER RIGHT ANKLE. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS AND PASSENGERS WERE BRIEFED CONCERNING THE LIGHT TO MODERATE TURBULENCE. THE FASTEN SEATBELT SIGN WAS ON. SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS NOT FORECASTED. THE WEATHER STUDY DISCLOSED THAT SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS PROBABLE AT THE FLIGHT'S ALTITUDE AND TIME.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,200 hours in all; 1,172 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,433 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 29, 1985; 33 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 100,800 lb
- Seats: 100
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT-8-9 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DCA Washington DC at 3:40 pm
- Destination: Charleston WV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 080° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 9 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from CRW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 7 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 51 |
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.