British Aerospace BAE-ATP accident near Peru, Illinois, September 7, 1997
On September 7, 1997 at about 1:40 am local time, a British Aerospace BAE-ATP, registered N855AW, was involved in an accident near Peru, Illinois. 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; 41 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
sudden/unexpected encounter with clear air turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 7, 1997 · about 1:40 am local time
- Place
- Peru, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 41 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace BAE-ATP
- Registration
- N855AW · no longer on the register · serial 2029
- 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 airplane encountered clear air turbulence during cruise flight at 10,000 feet msl. Two flight attendants, who were in the galley at the time of the encounter, were injured. One received minor injuries, and the other received a dual compound fracture to her leg. The airplane was 40 miles from its destination when the turbulence was encountered. The captain declared a medical emergency, and the flight continued to its destination. The seat belt sign was off at the time of the accident. There were no SIGMETs or AIRMETs in effect for the location of the turbulence encounter.
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; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,600 hours in all; 1,850 in this make and model; 216 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days; 2,200 as pilot in command; 1,060 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 11,805 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 6, 1997; 8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 50,550 lb
- Seats: 68
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW126A (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 1:15 am
- Destination: PIA Peoria IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 8 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 1:54 am from PIA, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Passengers | 39 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N855AW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.