Airbus A320 accident near New Orleans, Louisiana, January 10, 2020
On January 10, 2020 at about 10:45 pm local time, a 2006 Airbus A320, registered N1902U, was involved in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near New Orleans, Louisiana (Louis Armstrong New Orleans In airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 158 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an encounter with convectively induced turbulence while overflying an area of known convective activity.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 10, 2020 · about 10:45 pm local time
- Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana · Louis Armstrong New Orleans In · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 158 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Airbus A320 232, built 2006 · all A320s on the register
- Registration
- N1902U · registry record · serial 2714
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 10, 2020, at about 2245 universal coordinated time, United Airlines flight 1754, an Airbus A320, N1902U, encountered turbulence near the top of climb from New Orleans International Airport (KMSY), New Orleans, Louisiana. Of the 159 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant sustained serious injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from the KMSY to Newark Liberty International Airport (KEWR), Newark, New Jersey. According to the flight crew, they advised the flight attendants (FA) to expect some light turbulence during the climb out, and stated they would leave the seatbelt sign illuminated for passengers until they had reached smooth air. During the climb to their assigned altitude of flight level (FL) 370, the weather radar was active and air traffic control advised of weather directly in front of the flight. As the flight was climbing through about FL 305 , the flight was in clear air but the crew realized they were not going to stay above the clouds ahead of the airplane and requested, and were approved, to deviate to the right to avoid the buildups. During the turn, the captain made an announcement on the public address (PA) system for the FAs to “take their jumpseats” and subsequently encountered “a couple bumps of light chop.” Almost immediately after, they received a call from the cabin, that the purser had been injured. According to the FAs, they were preparing for cabin service when the turbulence was encountered. The forward FA fell to the floor as she was walking through the first-class cabin. Subsequently, the flight crew’s announcement for the “flight attendants take your jump seats” came over the PA system. The injured FA was assisted by medically qualified passengers and remained in a passenger seat for the remainder of the flight. Paramedics met the airplane at the gate and the FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured ankle. Post accident examination of the weather data determined that the turbulence was encountered when the airplane was flying over an area of general thunderstorms. Cloud tops up to FL400 were located within 10 miles of the turbulence encounter but there were no pilot reports (PIREPs) in the vicinity indicating turbulence prior to the event. There was a Center Weather Advisory current for the area for isolated thunderstorms, which was included in the flights weather briefing.
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 (climb to cruise) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › Convective turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 17,828 hours in all; 11,690 in this make and model; 80 in the last 90 days; 15,917 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: March 12, 2019
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,638 hours in all; 526 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 30 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 9, 2018
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,846 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, October 29, 2019
- Maximum gross weight: 169,756 lb
- Seats: 159
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 3: International Aero Engines V2527-A5 (turbofan); 37,817 hours total
- Engine 4: International Aero Engines V2527-A5 (turbofan); 36,571 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines Inc
The flight
- Departed from: MSY New Orleans LA at 9:40 pm
- Destination: EWR Newark NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | 7 | ||
| Passengers | 151 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N1902U the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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 documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text 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 DCA20CA058.