Embraer S A ERJ170-200LR accident near Saint Louis, Missouri, December 18, 2017
On December 18, 2017 at about 5:45 am local time, a 2014 Embraer S A ERJ170-200LR, registered N128SY, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Saint Louis, Missouri. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 56 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the abrupt pitch up maneuver which caused the flight attendant to lose her balance and injure her ankle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 2017 · about 5:45 am local time
- Place
- Saint Louis, Missouri · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 56 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Embraer S A ERJ170-200LR 200LR, built 2014 · all ERJ170-200LRs on the register
- Registration
- N128SY · registry record · serial 17000445
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On December 17, 2017, about 2345 central standard time, SkyWest flight 5788, an Embraer ERJ700, N128SY, experienced a sudden pitch correction during descent into St. Louis International Airport (STL), St Louis, Missouri. Of the 57 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant was seriously injured. The airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO) to STL. According to the flight crew, the captain was the pilot monitoring and the first officer (FO) was the pilot flying and was on his second day of initial operating experience (IOE). The air was smooth with no turbulence. Air traffic control requested the flight give its "best forward speed" and cleared it direct to the airport. The crew discussed and planned the descent and after entering the data into the flight management system (FMS), noticed they were past the top of descent point for the 3-degree descent path they had entered. As a result, the captain had the FO select flight level change and the descent rate briefly exceeded 5,000 feet/minute and the airspeed increased. To prevent an overspeed condition, the captain instructed the FO to deploy the speed brakes, but the speed continued to increase, so the captain disconnected the autopilot and pitched the nose up. At the time of the unexpected pitch input, the rear flight attendant (FA) was preparing the galley for landing and was thrown off-balance onto the floor, causing her to twist her ankle. Medically qualified passengers assisted the FA until landing. After landing, the FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with an ankle fracture.
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
- Cabin safety event during enroute (descent) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Flight crew
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,059 hours in all; 2,562 in this make and model; 222 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: January 18, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,253 hours in all; 15 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 11, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Ge CF34-8E5 (turbofan); 8,905 hours total
- Engine 2: Ge CF34-8E5 (turbofan); 8,905 hours total
- Operator: Skywest Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: SFO San Francisco CA at 2:20 am
- Destination: Saint Louis MO
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: -54°F (-48°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 1 | ||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 53 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.