Mcdonnell Douglas MD-80 accident near Raleigh, North Carolina, February 8, 1999
On February 8, 1999 at about 11:41 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-80, registered N433AA, was involved in an accident near Raleigh, North Carolina (Raleigh Durham Inter airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries; 133 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight encountered clear air turbulence while descending through 17,000 feet mean sea level (MSL).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 8, 1999 · about 11:41 pm local time
- Place
- Raleigh, North Carolina · Raleigh Durham Inter
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries; 133 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-80
- Registration
- N433AA · registry record · serial 49451
- 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 pilot, the airplane was descending through 17,000 feet for an approach into Raleigh, North Carolina when severe turbulence was encountered. The flight attendants were securing the passenger cabin and galley for landing at the time of the occurrence. The pilot reported that the fasten seat belt sign was on. According to the pilot, clear air turbulence was not forecasted. Examination, the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) revealed that the turbulence was encountered at an altitude of approximately 17,462 feet on a magnetic heading of approximately 144 degrees. The DFDR also indicated that during the turbulence, vertical acceleration reached a maximum of 2.05 G's and a minimum of -.49 G's.
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: 14,800 hours in all; 1,264 in this make and model; 132 in the last 90 days; 69 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 160,000 lb
- Seats: 138
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-919 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chigago IL at 9:18 pm
- Destination: RDU Raleigh NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 23R, 10,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; ovct at 5,500 ft
- Temperature: 45°F (7°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from ROA, 80 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | 2 | |
| Passengers | 131 |
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.