Boeing 737-8H4 accident near Waycross, Georgia, May 25, 2019
On May 25, 2019 at about 9:15 pm local time, a 2016 Boeing 737-8H4, registered N8697C, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Waycross, Georgia. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 126 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an encounter with convectively induced turbulence while penetrating cumulus clouds during descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 2019 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Waycross, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 126 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-8H4 No Series, built 2016 · all 737-8H4s on the register
- Registration
- N8697C · registry record · serial 36728
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On May 25, 2019, about 1715 eastern daylight time, Southwest Airlines flight 2842, a Boeing 737-8H4, N8697C, encountered turbulence during descent into Jacksonville International Airport (KJAX), Jacksonville, Florida. Of the 128 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant sustained serious injuries and one flight attendant sustained minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Chicago Midway International Airport (KMDW), Chicago, Illinois, to KJAX. According to the captain, as the flight approached 15,000 feet, he noticed there was a scattered layer of clouds they needed to descend through, and so he elected to provide the 10,000-foot chime to the flight attendants early. As the flight descended through the layer at about 12,000 feet, the airplane encountered moderate turbulence. The seat belt sign was off, and the flight crew had turned off the weather radar about 5 minutes before because they had observed no weather between the airplane and KJAX. According to the flight attendants (FA), the turbulence was encountered shortly after they received the 10,000-foot chime and begun their final walkthrough of the cabin. The two FAs in the aft cabin were thrown into the air and then struck the floor. One of the injured FAs was transferred to a passenger seat for the remainder of the flight. The flight crew was notified of the injury, who requested that paramedics meet the airplane at the gate. After landing, the two aft FAs were transported to the hospital where one was diagnosed with a fractured ankle. Post accident examination of the weather data determined that the turbulence was encountered in the vicinity of the sea breeze front and localized convergence where towering cumulus clouds (cumulus congestus clouds) were depicted on the satellite imagery. There was no lightning detected, pilot reports (PIREPs), or inflight advisories for convection or turbulence current for the area.
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
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,909 hours in all; 8,027 in this make and model; 148 in the last 90 days; 42 in the last 30 days; 7,436 as pilot in command; 960 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 18, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,538 hours in all; 508 in this make and model; 163 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 10,160 as pilot in command; 1,037 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 24, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- 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: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,864 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 23, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 174,700 lb
- Seats: 185
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Ge CFM 56-7B E/F (turbofan); 9,911 hours total
- Engine 2: Ge CFM 56-7B E/F (turbofan); 9,911 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines Co
The flight
- Departed from: KMDW Chicago IL at 7:38 pm
- Destination: KJAX Jacksonville FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 600 ft
- Temperature: 93°F (34°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Observation at 8:55 pm from KJAX, 37 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 122 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
13 documents, released by the NTSB on July 13, 2021. 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.
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.