Fokker F-28 MK100 accident near Ft. Wayne, Indiana, May 13, 1998
On May 13, 1998 at about 12:39 pm local time, a Fokker F-28 MK100, registered N1400H, was involved in an accident near Ft. Wayne, Indiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 38 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
In-flight encounter with turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 13, 1998 · about 12:39 pm local time
- Place
- Ft. Wayne, Indiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 38 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fokker F-28 MK100
- Registration
- N1400H · registry record · serial 11340
- 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 #1 flight attendant suffered a fractured ankle when she got up from a passenger seat to answer the interphone during moderate turbulence. The captain reported they encountered moderate turbulence while deviating around a small cell. The seat belt sign was turned on at the time of the encounter. Two SIGMETs were in effect at the time which had outlooks covering the area of the encounter. Both of the outlooks were calling for diminishing thunderstorm activity in the area.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,995 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 14,827 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 30, 1998; 101 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 98,000 lb
- Seats: 114
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce TAY 650-1-5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DCA Washington DC at 11:10 am
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 110° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 4 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 4,600 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:54 am from FTW
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 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.
Other NTSB records under N1400H 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.