Boeing 737 incident near Johannesburg, Za, July 30, 2012
On July 30, 2012 at about 9:20 am local time, a Boeing 737, registered ZSSJB, was involved in an incident during enroute near Johannesburg. It was flown under rules the NTSB did not record. No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 30, 2012 · about 9:20 am local time
- Place
- Johannesburg, South Africa
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 145 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- ZSSJB · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · rules the NTSB did not record
The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 30, 2012, at approximately 0920 UTC, a Boeing 737-800, registration ZS-SJB, s/n 29249, operated by South African Airways, experienced a sudden decompression approximately one hour after takeoff. The cabin oxygen masks deployed from the overhead panels and the flight crew descended to FL100 after declaring an emergency. The flight continued to Johannesburg, South Africa, where it landed safely at 1049Z. None of the occupants onboard the aircraft were reported injured, and the aircraft sustained no damage. The investigation is being conducted by the South African Civil Aviation Authority. The NTSB designated a U.S. Accredited Representative as the state of manufacture of the aircraft to assist the South Africa CAA's investigation. All inquiries should be directed to: South African Civil Aviation Authority Accident Incident Investigation Division Ikhaya Lokundiza Building 16 Treur Close Waterfall Park Bekker Street Midrand www.caa.co.za
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
- Pressure/environ sys malf/fail during enroute defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 7 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 136 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under ZSSJB 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.