Airbus Industrie A300B4-203 accident near Indianapolis, Indiana, March 30, 1987
On March 30, 1987 at about 4:00 am local time, a Airbus Industrie A300B4-203, registered N230EA, was involved in an accident near Indianapolis, Indiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 246 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- March 30, 1987 · about 4:00 am local time
- Place
- Indianapolis, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 246 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A300B4-203 · all A300B4-203s on the register
- Registration
- N230EA · registry record · serial 216
- 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 NGT IN CLR AIR (WELL ABV CLDS), EASTERN AI LINES FLT 477 WAS IN LIGHT CHOP AT FL 310 WITH THE SEAT BELT SIGN ON. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT WHEN THE TURBULENCE INCREASED TO A MODERATE COND, HE MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT FOR THE FLT ATTENDANTS (F/A'S) TO STOP SERVING & TAKE THEIR SEATS. THE F/A'S WERE STOWING EQUIPMENT, WHEN THE ACFT ENCTRD TURBULENCE. ONE F/A WAS INJURED & SUBSEQUENTLY HOSPITALIZED IN EXCESS OF 10 DAYS.
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: 5,291 hours in all; 1,234 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,875 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 8, 1986
- Maximum gross weight: 349,200 lb
- Seats: 341
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 3:10 am
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 230° at 75 knots
- Visibility: 5 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds; not recorded
- Temperature: 39°F (4°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:51 am from IND, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 8 | ||
| Passengers | 238 |
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.