Boeing 767 332 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, May 20, 2009
On May 20, 2009 at about 4:30 pm local time, a 1988 Boeing 767 332, registered N129DL, was involved in an accident during enroute (cruise) near San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries; 263 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Inadvertent encounter with convective turbulence while in cruise.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 20, 2009 · about 4:30 pm local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 4 people had minor injuries; 263 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767 332 332, built 1988 · all 767 332s on the register
- Registration
- N129DL · no longer on the register · serial 24079
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 20, 2009, at 1230 eastern daylight time, Delta Airlines flight 419, a Boeing 767, N129DL, encountered turbulence while enroute from Atlanta, Georgia, to San Juan, Puerto Rico. The captain stated that preflight information and enroute reports indicated only light chop for the flight and he communicated this to the flight attendants. About 10 minutes before the turbulence encounter, the captain turned on the seat belt sign and made an announcement for the passengers to remain in their seats with the seat belt fastened because they would be deviating around weather ahead. After deviating around the weather and with no weather returns on the radar, the flight encountered turbulence that lasted for about 20 seconds. At the time of the turbulence encounter, the airplane was in cruise at Flight Level 350. One of the flight attendants in the back of the airplane was thrown from her jump seat to the floor and injured. Two doctors and a nurse assisted the injured flight attendant. The flight crew declared an emergency and was given direct routing to San Juan. The injured flight attendant was transported to the hospital, where she was subsequently diagnosed with a fractured femur.
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
What happened, in order
- Turbulence encounter during enroute (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on personnel
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 348,220 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Ge CF6-80 SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Ge CF6-80 SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Delta Air Lines
The flight
- Departed from: Atlanta GA
- Destination: San Juan PR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 060° at 15 knots, gusting 19
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 2 | 259 |
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.