Boeing 737-200 accident near Atlanta, Georgia, April 28, 1997
On April 28, 1997 at about 5:30 pm local time, a Boeing 737-200, registered N14245, 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 and 7 people had minor injuries; 74 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The failure of the flight crew to alert the cabin crew to the possibility of turbulence, leading to a serious injury when severe turbulence was encountered..
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 28, 1997 · about 5:30 pm local time
- Place
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 7 people had minor injuries; 74 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N14245 · no longer on the register · serial 20074
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Before takeoff, the flight crew was given weather information which indicated the possibility of thunderstorms and turbulence along their flight path. As they climbed through 24,000 feet, they diverted around a 'benign' looking rain shower. As they passed the rain shower, they encountered three jolts of moderate to severe turbulence. All three flight attendants were preparing to serve the cabin at this time, and one was seriously injured during the encounter. The Continental Flight Manual states that the flight crew should instruct the cabin crew to secure the cabin and be seated before an encounter with turbulence.
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: 15,000 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,294 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 20, 1997; 65 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 105
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL GA at 4:47 pm
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 4 knots
- Visibility: 0.2 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 100 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 pm from ATL, 100 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 7 | 70 |
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.