Airbus A321-231 accident near New Orleans, Louisiana, June 25, 2021
On June 25, 2021 at about 8:31 pm local time, a 2015 Airbus A321-231, registered N926UW, was involved in an accident during enroute (cruise) near New Orleans, Louisiana. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 8 people had minor injuries; 185 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent encounter with severe turbulence during cruise flight that caused a flight attendant to fall and fracture his ankle.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 25, 2021 · about 8:31 pm local time
- Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 8 people had minor injuries; 185 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A321-231, built 2015 · all A321-231s on the register
- Registration
- N926UW · registry record · serial 6618
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
American Airlines flight 2401 encountered severe turbulence while in cruise flight at FL310 and a flight attendant fractured his ankle. The captain was the pilot flying (PF) and the first officer was monitoring. Ride conditions were smooth with no reports of turbulence in the area and the crewmembers had the weather radar turned off. The flight was in day visual meteorological conditions (VMC) with the visibility greater than 20 miles. About 20 miles NW of the REDFN waypoint, near airway Q105, the flight experienced a single “jolt” of severe turbulence, which caused the autopilot to disconnect, and the airplane to roll about 30 degrees to the right and climb about 300 feet. The PF took control and returned the airplane to its assigned altitude and reengaged the autopilot. When the turbulence occurred beverage service had recently concluded, and two flight attendants were in the aisle collecting trash. One flight attendant was in the aft galley securing service items and was thrown to the ceiling and fell, fracturing his left ankle. Ten passengers who were not seated or who were not using their seatbelts sustained minor injuries. The fasten seatbelt indication to passengers was turned off.
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 › Clear air turbulence › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,814 hours in all; 623 in this make and model; 168 in the last 90 days; 55 in the last 30 days; 1,267 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 17, 2020
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,117 hours in all; 443 in this make and model; 154 in the last 90 days; 63 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: March 22, 2021
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 379
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: American Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: DFW Dallas TX
- Destination: TPA Tampa FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: broken clouds at 12,000 ft; scat at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 77°F (25°C)
- Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Passengers | 7 | 181 |
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 DCA21LA164.