Boeing 727-222 accident near Buffalo, New York, March 23, 1991
On March 23, 1991 at about 11:15 pm local time, a Boeing 727-222, registered N7449U, was involved in an accident near Buffalo, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 39 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE ENCOUNTER.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 1991 · about 11:15 pm local time
- Place
- Buffalo, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 39 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 727-222 · all 727-222s on the register
- Registration
- N7449U · no longer on the register · serial 21903
- 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 AIRCRAFT WAS IN CRUISE FLIGHT AT FL 310 WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE. A FLIGHT ATTENDANT IN THE AFT GALLEY WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED. TWO FLIGHT ATTENDANTS IN THE CABIN, AND A PASSENGER WHO WAS IN THE LAVATORY RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE WEATHER BRIEFING CONTAINED A FORECAST FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF TURBULENCE. THE FLIGHT WAS DIVERTED TO AN ALTERNATE AIRPORT TO PROVIDE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE TO THE INJURED PERSONS.
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, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,033 hours in all; 151 in the last 90 days; 67 in the last 30 days; 10,200 as pilot in command
- 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: 190,500 lb
- Seats: 159
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MHT Manchester NH at 10:25 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 230° at 15 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 5,500 ft; scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:50 pm from BUF, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | 4 | |
| Passengers | 1 | 35 |
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.