Airbus 330 accident near East Hampton, New York, August 5, 2017
On August 5, 2017 at about 6:35 pm local time, a 2001 Airbus 330, registered N276AY, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near East Hampton, New York. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 10 people had minor injuries; 6 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 convective turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 5, 2017 · about 6:35 pm local time
- Place
- East Hampton, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 10 people had minor injuries; 6 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Airbus 330, built 2001
- Registration
- N276AY · no longer on the register · serial 375
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On August 5, 2017, at 1435 eastern daylight time, an Airbus 330, N276AY, operated by American Airlines as flight 759 encountered turbulence at 28,000 feet about 25 miles east of East Hampton, NY. One flight attendant suffered a broken arm and there were 10 minor injuries among the passengers and flight attendants. The airplane was not damaged. The flight was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Athens, Greece, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (PHL). According to the operator, the flight passed very close to a small, but rapidly developing convective cell with tops near FL300. A steady increase in lightning reports was noted immediately after encountering the cell. The cell was most likely dominated by updrafts at the time of the encounter and dissipated 30 minutes after the report. Other isolated to scattered areas of convection were developing along a cold front over Eastern Long Island at the time. ATC radar depicted an area of moderate to extreme precipitation returns along the airplane's route of flight. ATC did not advise the flight crew of the returns until after the crew reported the turbulence encounter. The flight crew reported that the seat belt sign was on at the time of the turbulence.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,511 hours in all
- Last flight review: March 13, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Flight time: 10,289 hours in all
- Last flight review: December 21, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 513,600 lb
- Seats: 307
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines, Inc
The flight
- Departed from: ATH Athens at 8:39 am
- Destination: PHL Philadelphia PA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 7 | 4 | |
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 3 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
1 document, released by the NTSB on December 22, 2017. 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 |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N276AY 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.