Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 accident near Cape Girardeau, Missouri, January 28, 1997
On January 28, 1997 at about 2:53 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51, registered N414EA, was involved in an accident near Cape Girardeau, Missouri. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 110 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
clear air turbulence encountered by the flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 28, 1997 · about 2:53 pm local time
- Place
- Cape Girardeau, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 110 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-51 · all DC-9-51s on the register
- Registration
- N414EA · registry record · serial 47746
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
TWA Flight 374 encountered severe clear air turbulence over Cape Girardeau at FL220 during their initial descent into St. Louis. One flight attendant received a broken clavicle and another flight attendant received bruised ribs as a result of the turbulence. The flight data recorder data showed changes in vertical acceleration between +2.5g's and -0.79g's. A SIGMET for moderate occasional severe turbulence from FL240 to FL350 was issued just after the flight took off from New Orleans, LA. TWA 374 had just been cleared to a lower altitude as it was starting to get 'bumpy' when the severe turbulence was encountered.
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: 11,233 hours in all; 3,209 in this make and model; 110 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 4,181 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 43,798 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 26, 1996; 2,676 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 121,000 lb
- Seats: 114
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Trans World Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: MSY New Orleans LA at 1:42 pm
- Destination: STL St. Louis MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 10°F (-12°C), dew point 3°F (-16°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:50 pm from CGI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| Passengers | 107 |
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.