Boeing B-737 accident near Washington, District of Columbia, May 11, 1990
On May 11, 1990 at about 5:00 pm local time, a Boeing B-737, registered N990UA, was involved in an accident near Washington, District of Columbia (Dulles Intl airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE, RESULTING IN INJURY TO A FLIGHT ATTENDANT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 1990 · about 5:00 pm local time
- Place
- Washington, District of Columbia · Dulles Intl
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 4 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-737
- Registration
- N990UA · no longer on the register · serial 21980
- 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 ACFT WAS DESCENDING THROUGH 8500 FT WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE, CAUSING A FLIGHT ATTENDANT TO FALL AND FRACTURE HER RIB. AT THE TIME SHE WAS PREPARING THE CABIN FOR LANDING.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,565 hours in all; 3,115 in this make and model; 163 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 32,031 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 27, 1990; 98 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 117,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: PVD Providence RI at 11:50 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:50 pm from IAD
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 |
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.