Boeing 737 7H4 accident near Cape Coral, Florida, September 6, 2011
On September 6, 2011 at about 5:09 pm local time, a 2009 Boeing 737 7H4, registered N936WN, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Cape Coral, Florida. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 141 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An encounter with convective turbulence during the descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 6, 2011 · about 5:09 pm local time
- Place
- Cape Coral, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 141 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7H4 7H4, built 2009 · all 737 7H4s on the register
- Registration
- N936WN · registry record · serial 36643
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On September 6, 2011, at about 1209 EDT, Southwest Airlines flight 983, a B737-700, N936WN, encountered turbulence enroute from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Chicago, Illinois, to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Of the five crew members and 137 passengers on board, one flight attendant received seriously injuries. The airplane was not damaged. According to flight crew statements, air traffic control informed them to expect turbulence from thunderstorms in mid to south Florida. In preparation for the possibility of turbulence, the captain called the flight attendants (FA) and advised them to close the galleys and to be seated and that they would likely be able to complete the cabin cleanup after clearing the weather at 10,000 feet. The flight deviated west of the weather and mostly smooth conditions were experienced for about 20 minutes during the descent. As the flight descended below about 14,000 feet, the flight momentarily encountered "large bumps" and two FAs were thrown to the floor after having just gotten out of their jump seats to finish cleaning up the aft galley. As a result, one FA experienced severe pain in her leg and was unable to complete her duties for the remainder of the flight. The captain was immediately informed of the injured FAs condition and medical assistance was requested to meet the airplane at the gate. After an uneventful landing, the FA was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with a broken leg.
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 (descent) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,500 hours in all; 12,500 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 87 in the last 30 days; 13,500 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,852 hours in all; 3,382 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 7,506 as pilot in command; 2,181 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 7, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,317 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 25, 2011
- Maximum gross weight: 154,500 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24/3 (turbofan); 8,317 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24/3 (turbofan); 8,317 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: KMDW Chicago IL at 1:46 pm
- Destination: KFLL Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 4 knots
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; scat at 2,000 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 29.89 inHg
- Observation at 4:00 pm from KRSW, 27 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 2 | ||
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 137 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA11CA116.