Boeing 767 accident near San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 22, 2019
On July 22, 2019 at about 7:17 am local time, a 1993 Boeing 767, registered N663UA, was involved in an accident during enroute (cruise) near San Juan, Puerto Rico. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 216 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An encounter with convective turbulence during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 22, 2019 · about 7:17 am local time
- Place
- San Juan, Puerto Rico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 216 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767 322, built 1993 · all 767s on the register
- Registration
- N663UA · registry record · serial 27160
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 22, 2019, about 0317 eastern daylight time, United Airlines flight 860, a Boeing B767-322, N663UA, encountered turbulence during cruise flight about 200 nm north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Of the 218 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant was seriously injured, and one flight attendant sustained minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled international passenger flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from São Paulo/Guarulhos International Airport (SBGR), Sao Paulo, Brazil, to Washington Dulles International Airport (KIAD), Dulles, Virginia. According to the flight crew, they were in level cruise flight at flight level 360 when they started experiencing some chop. The captain turned on the seatbelt sign and instructed passengers to be seated over the public address system. Shortly after, the airplane experienced 3-5 seconds of moderate turbulence as they penetrated a cloud. The crew reported that the weather radar was operational and not showing any indications of precipitation along the route of flight. When the turbulence occurred, a flight attendant (FA) in the aft galley was reaching for the handset to repeat the seatbelt instructions in Portuguese when she was thrown sideways, then to the ceiling, and then back to the floor. The injured FA was helped to a jumpseat and attended to by a passenger physician for the remainder of the flight. Paramedics met the airplane at the gate in KIAD and the injured FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with multiple contusions and a fractured vertebra.
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 (cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 15,147 hours in all; 2,881 in this make and model; 136 in the last 90 days; 46 in the last 30 days; 2,887 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: January 29, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Flight time: 1,451 hours in all; 1,231 in this make and model; 175 in the last 90 days; 95 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: January 21, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Maximum gross weight: 297,624 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Pratt & Whitney PW4000 SER (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Pratt & Whitney PW4000 SER (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Air Lines INC
The flight
- Departed from: SBGR Sao Paulo OF
- Destination: KIAD Washington DC
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: not reported
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 1 | 1 | 6 | |
| Flight crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 207 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The NTSB has not released the docket for this case yet. The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), is usually released when the investigation is nearly complete, and the list here is refreshed when it appears. Check 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.