Boeing 737-387 incident near Savannah, Georgia, August 30, 1988
On August 30, 1988 at about 7:59 pm local time, a Boeing 737-387, registered N353AU, was involved in an incident near Savannah, Georgia. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 13 people had minor injuries; 81 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. 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
- August 30, 1988 · about 7:59 pm local time
- Place
- Savannah, Georgia · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 13 people had minor injuries; 81 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-387 · all 737-387s on the register
- Registration
- N353AU · no longer on the register · serial 22953
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE CRUISING AT FL 310, USAIR FLIGHT 333 ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE. THE PILOT REPORTED OBSERVING THE THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ON THE AIRBORNE RADAR. THE FLIGHT WAS WITHIN 20 MILES OF THE CELL BEFORE ACTION WAS TAKEN TO AVOID THE ENCOUNTER. THE RECOMMENDED PENETRATION AIRSPEED IS .70 MACH OR 280 KNOTS. THE PILOT REPORTED MAINTAINING .76 MACH DURING THE ENCOUNTER.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,700 hours in all; 100 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 115,000 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM 56-3/B2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PITT Pittsburgh PA at 6:31 pm
- Destination: FLL Ft. Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 10 | 78 |
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.