Boeing 737 824 accident near Denver, Colorado, December 14, 2016
On December 14, 2016 at about 1:47 am local time, a 2000 Boeing 737 824, registered N24202, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Denver, Colorado. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 173 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent encounter with mountain wave turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 14, 2016 · about 1:47 am local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 173 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 824 824, built 2000 · all 737 824s on the register
- Registration
- N24202 · registry record · serial 30429
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 13, 2016, at 1847 mountain standard time, United Airlines flight 1545, a Boeing 737-800, N24202, experienced turbulence during descent that resulted in one flight attendant sustaining a serious injury. There were no injuries to the other passengers and crew onboard and the airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), California to Denver International Airport (DEN), Colorado. The flight landed at DEN with no further incident. According to the operator, weather forecasts indicated that mountain wave turbulence was expected over the Sierra Nevada mountains and moderate turbulence was forecast for the descent in to DEN below 17,000 feet. As the airplane descended through approximately FL270 the captain advised the flight attendants "it's going to get bumpy" and to be seated. The flight crew reported that passing through approximately FL220 the airplane experienced increasing turbulence and then at about FL200 experienced a "big jolt." The flight attendant in position 2L was securing the galley at the time of the turbulence and was thrown to the ceiling and then struck her face on the galley counter while falling to the floor. She suffered multiple injuries including a large gash to her cheek and a fractured facial bone.
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 › Terrain induced turbulence › Effect on personnel
- factor Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Terrain induced turbulence › Awareness of condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 16,730 hours in all; 4,698 in this make and model; 184 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days; 9,430 as pilot in command; 289 on instruments
- Last flight review: November 24, 2015
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer, military, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,960 hours in all; 3,150 in this make and model; 241 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 0 as pilot in command; 0 on instruments
- Last flight review: October 25, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (waiver time limited special)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 174,200 lb
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl. CFM56 SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl. CFM56 SERIES (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: SFO San Francisco CA
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 5 | ||
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 166 |
Other NTSB records under N24202 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site 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 DCA17CA042.