Boeing 747-400 accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 16, 1991
On June 16, 1991 at about 7:00 pm local time, a Boeing 747-400, registered PHBFG, was involved in an accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under foreign airline rules (Part 129). 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 272 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO ENSURE CABIN CREW MEMBERS WERE PREPARED FOR AN ENCOUNTER WITH TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 16, 1991 · about 7:00 pm local time
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 272 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-400 · all 747-400s on the register
- Registration
- PHBFG · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · foreign airline rules (Part 129)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE FLIGHT WAS ON A CRUISE DESCENT AT 20,000 FEET MSL WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE, CAUSING INJURIES TO CABIN CREWMEMBERS INCLUDING ONE WHO WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT HE WAS DEVIATING AROUND CUMULONIMBUS CLOUDS WHEN HE INADVERTENTLY ENTERED ONE. HE SAID THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON AT THE TIME. THE FLIGHT PROCEEDED TO THE DESTINATION AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.
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: 15,016 hours in all; 134 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 356,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AMS Amsterdam OF
- Destination: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,000 ft; scat at 4,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:00 pm from PHL, 999 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | 12 | |
| Passengers | 260 |
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.