Boeing 737 accident near Severn, Maryland, August 7, 2024
On August 7, 2024 at about 6:30 pm local time, a 2005 Boeing 737, registered N226WN, was involved in an accident during enroute (descent) near Severn, Maryland. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 142 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A passenger’s failure to comply with crew member instructions to remain seated with seatbelt fastened.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 7, 2024 · about 6:30 pm local time
- Place
- Severn, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 142 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 7H4, built 2005 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N226WN · registry record · serial 32494
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Southwest Airlines Flight 3633 (SWA 3633) encountered turbulence while descending through flight level (FL) 190 to Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Baltimore, Maryland. The flight was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (MHT), Manchester, New Hampshire to BWI. The flight crew illuminated the seat belt sign during descent into BWI. A few minutes following the illumination, a passenger stood up and walked to the back of the cabin. The flight attendant told the passenger to return to her seat, and the passenger responded that she would not return to her seat because she needed to stretch. About a minute later, as the aircraft descended through a cloud, the flight encountered short duration moderate turbulence. The standing passenger lost her balance and fell to the floor, breaking her ankle. Two nurses came to assist the passenger on the floor of the galley where they bandaged and splinted her ankle. The nurses returned to their seats for landing. An off-duty flight attendant sat on the floor of the galley with the injured passenger to secure her during landing. EMTs met the flight at the gate and transported the injured passenger from the airplane to a local hospital. The flight crew reported that the there were no reports of turbulence or radar returns that would have indicated turbulence. A post flight review of weather showed no predicted turbulence or evidence of convection near the location and altitude where the encounter occurred.
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
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › (general) › Passenger
- Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena › Turbulence › (general) › Effect on personnel
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 30,000 hours in all; 13,000 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 25,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: May 23, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command; 2,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: March 23, 2024
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Cabin Crew
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Cabin Crew
- Seat: unk
- Injury: no injuries
Cabin Crew
- Seat: unk
Cabin Crew
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 62,278 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 23, 2024
- Maximum gross weight: 155,000 lb
- Seats: 151
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm Intl. CFM56-7B24 (turbofan); 63,358 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm Intl. CFM56-7B24 (turbofan); 60,464 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines CO
The flight
- Departed from: MHT Manchester NH at 5:28 pm
- Destination: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,000 ft; scat at 2,600 ft
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 5:54 pm from BWI
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cabi | 3 | |||
| Flight crew | 2 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 137 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on October 28, 2024. 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 | Flight and Cabin Crew 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.
Other NTSB records under N226WN the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.