Boeing 737 accident near San Jose, California, October 11, 2018
On October 11, 2018 at about 6:00 pm local time, a 1999 Boeing 737, registered N734SA, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near San Jose, California. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 121 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A passenger falling while returning to her seat which resulted in a serious injury.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 11, 2018 · about 6:00 pm local time
- Place
- San Jose, California · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 121 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7H4, built 1999 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N734SA · no longer on the register · serial 27866
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On October 11, 2018, about 1100 pacific daylight time, Southwest Airlines flight 2134, a Boeing B737-700, N734SA, was on final decent into Norman Y. Mineta San José International Airport (KSJC), San Jose, California, when a passenger fell returning to her seat. Of the 122 passengers and crew onboard, one passenger received serious injuries. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from John Wayne Airport (KSNA), Santa Ana, California, to KSJC. According to the flight attendants, as they were completing their final walkthrough of the cabin, a passenger exited the lavatory and tripped as she was returning to her seat. The seatbelt sign was illuminated, and the airplane was below 10,000 feet. The passenger immediately complained of hip pain and a flight attendant remained on the floor with the injured passenger for landing. Emergency medical personnel met the airplane at the gate and transported the passenger to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured left hip.
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 › Action/decision › Action › (general) › Passenger
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,231 hours in all; 9,590 in this make and model; 147 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 5,496 as pilot in command; 1,127 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 30, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,695 hours in all; 1,185 in this make and model; 171 in the last 90 days; 53 in the last 30 days; 2,500 as pilot in command; 1,300 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 6, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 154,500 lb
- 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: KSNA Santa Ana CA at 5:49 pm
- Destination: KSJC San Jose CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 600 ft
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 5:53 pm from SJC
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 116 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on January 6, 2022. 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 | Employee Statements | PDF, 3 pages | 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.