Boeing 737 accident near Nashville, Tennessee, October 10, 2018
On October 10, 2018 at about 3:00 am local time, a 2007 Boeing 737, registered N287WN, was involved in an accident during enroute near Nashville, Tennessee. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 91 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
flight attendant tripping over a passenger's knee that resulted in hot liquid splashing on the flight attendant.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 10, 2018 · about 3:00 am local time
- Place
- Nashville, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 91 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7H4, built 2007 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N287WN · registry record · serial 32537
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On October 9, 2018, about 2300 EDT, Southwest Airlines 2235, a Boeing 737-700, N287WN, was enroute to Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (KCLT), Charlotte, North Carolina, when a flight attendant was burned with hot liquid. Of the 93 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant received a serious injury. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Nashville International Airport (KBNA), Nashville, Tennessee, to KCLT. As the flight attendant (FA) was conducting cabin service, she tripped over a passenger's knee, causing her to spill her beverage tray. One of the beverages was a hot tea, and it splashed on her left forearm and on the passenger's shoulder and arm. After landing, paramedics treated both the passenger and flight attendant at the gate, however, both declined to be transported to a local hospital for further examination. The following day the FA was still in pain and went to a local medical clinic where she was diagnosed with a 2nd degree burn to her forearm.
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 defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › (general) › (general) › Cabin crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 9,000 in this make and model; 56 in the last 90 days; 49.3 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 5, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 230 in the last 90 days; 160 in the last 30 days; 8,500 as pilot in command; 800 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 15, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Cabin Crew
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
Cabin Crew
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Seat: none
- Injury: serious injuries
Cabin Crew
- Flight time: 0 hours in all; 0 in this make and model
- Seat: none
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,495 hours
- Last inspection: type not recorded, August 16, 2018
- Maximum gross weight: 154,500 lb
- Seats: 151
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines CO
The flight
- Departed from: KBNA Nashville TN at 3:45 am
- Destination: KCLT Charlotte NC
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 130° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.95 inHg
- Observation at 2:53 am from KBNA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 2 | ||
| Flig | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 87 |
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 DCA19CA005.