Boeing 757 2B7 accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, June 7, 2012
On June 7, 2012 at about 4:16 pm local time, a 1994 Boeing 757 2B7, registered N936UW, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Philadelphia Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 184 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an inadvertent encounter with convective turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 7, 2012 · about 4:16 pm local time
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania · Philadelphia Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 184 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757 2B7 2B7, built 1994 · all 757 2B7s on the register
- Registration
- N936UW · no longer on the register · serial 27244
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On June 7, 2012, at approximately 1600 coordinated universal time, US Airways flight 1078, a Boeing 757-200, N936UW, encountered turbulence during descent into Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One flight attendant in the aft galley suffered a broken ankle and two other flight attendants suffered minor injuries. The other five crewmembers and 178 passengers were not injured and the airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (LRSM), San Juan, Puerto Rico, to KPHL. According to the operator, the flight crew weather briefing indicated no turbulence forecast for the route of flight. The departure, cruise, and initial descent portions of the flight were uneventful. The captain reportedly turned on the seatbelt sign when the flight was passing through flight level 180. About 50 miles outside of KPHL, the flight crew identified a small band of cumulus clouds between 13,000 feet and 9,000 feet. The captain made a public-address announcement to the passengers reminding them to have their seatbelts fastened and alerted them to the possibility of some minor turbulence as they passed through the clouds. Prior to descending through 10,000 feet, the flight encountered moderate turbulence for approximately 3-5 seconds. There were no pilot reports or advisories from air traffic control about turbulence in the area. When the turbulence was encountered, the D flight attendant (FA) was in the aft galley performing final landing preparations and was lifted into the air and thrown the floor near the last row of passenger seats. She was assisted by other FA's but remained on the floor for the remainder of the flight due to her injured leg. Paramedics met the airplane at the gate and transported the flight attendant to the hospital where she was diagnosed with fractures to her tibia and fibula.
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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,973 hours in all; 886 in this make and model; 195 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 5,864 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 14, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 19,770 hours in all; 5,870 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 92 in the last 30 days; 5,643 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 16, 2011
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 59,240 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 6, 2012
- Maximum gross weight: 248,020 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Rolls-Royc RB.211 SERIES (turbofan); 85,217 hours total
- Engine 2: Rolls-Royc RB.211 SERIES (turbofan); 24,818 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SJU San Juan PR at 12:47 pm
- Destination: KPHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 15 knots
- Sky: scat at 9,000 ft
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 178 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
5 documents, released by the NTSB on March 12, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 18 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Data Recorder 10 - Specialist's Factual Report | PDF, 11 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Flight Data Recorder 10 - Attachment 1 FDR Tabular Entire | data file | Download |
| 4 | Flight Data Recorder 10 - Attachment 2 FDR Tabular 30 Seconds | data file | Download |
| 5 | Flight Data Recorder 10 - Attachment 3 FDR Tabular 2 Minutes | data file | Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.