Boeing 737 7H4 accident near St Louis, Missouri, November 29, 2015
On November 29, 2015 at about 10:15 pm local time, a 2004 Boeing 737 7H4, registered N467WN, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near St Louis, Missouri (Lambert airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 147 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an inadvertent encounter with clear air turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 2015 · about 10:15 pm local time
- Place
- St Louis, Missouri · Lambert · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 147 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7H4 7H4, built 2004 · all 737 7H4s on the register
- Registration
- N467WN · registry record · serial 33830
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On November 29, 2015, at 5:15pm central standard time, Southwest Airlines flight 145, a Boeing 737-700, N467WN, encountered severe turbulence on descent to St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), St. Louis, Missouri. The airplane was descending between flight level 210 and flight level 180 with the seatbelt light illuminated. The flight attendants (FA) were completing cabin service, and the two FA's in the aft cabin fell, one experiencing a broken right foot and leg. None of the passengers were injured and the airplane was not damaged. The airplane was on a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Dallas Love Field (DAL).
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 › Clear air turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,300 hours in all; 12,400 in this make and model; 225 in the last 90 days; 120 in the last 30 days; 7,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: February 25, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,340 hours in all; 3,869 in this make and model; 145 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 4,074 as pilot in command; 790 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 18, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 41,478 hours
- Maximum gross weight: 154,500 lb
- Seats: 151
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl. CFM56 SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl. CFM56 SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines CO
The flight
- Departed from: KDAL Dallas TX at 8:54 pm
- Destination: KSTL St. Louis MO
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 020° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,400 ft
- Temperature: 41°F (5°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.20 inHg
- Observation at 9:51 pm from KSTL, 54 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 2 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 143 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
3 documents, released by the NTSB on July 21, 2021. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Flight Data Recorder PLOT1 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Flight Data Recorder PLOT2 | PDF, 1 page | View 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.