Boeing 747-422 accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota, September 14, 1997
On September 14, 1997 at about 7:24 pm local time, a Boeing 747-422, registered N175UA, was involved in an accident near Grand Forks, North Dakota. 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; 322 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight attendant's seat belt was not secured. A factor was turbulence in the clouds.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 1997 · about 7:24 pm local time
- Place
- Grand Forks, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 322 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-422 · all 747-422s on the register
- Registration
- N175UA · no longer on the register · serial 24382
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure, the flight crew received a weather briefing which included a SIGMET for the chance of severe turbulence along the proposed route. Prior to entering IMC conditions, the flight crew turned on the 'Fasten Seat Belt' signs, and gave verbal instructions to passengers to return to their seats and fasten their seat belts. The pilot-in-command diverted around precipitation which he observed on radar; however, when in the close proximity to the precipitation, the airplane encountered what the crew described as three to four seconds of 'moderate' chop. An unseated passenger sustained minor injuries, and a flight attendant received serious injuries.
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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 20,086 hours in all; 1,660 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 30,275 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 22, 1997; 2,132 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 873,600 lb
- Seats: 327
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 4056 L (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 6:02 pm
- Destination: RJAA Narita OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 22 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 300 |
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 N175UA 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.