Airbus A330 and Boeing 737 incident near Katunayake, Outside the U.S., January 9, 2024
On January 9, 2024, 2 aircraft, Airbus A330 (N4RALS) and Boeing 737 (A6FME), were involved in the same incident near Katunayake, Outside the U.S.. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 2024
- Place
- Katunayake, Sri Lanka · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
- Weather
- not recorded
- Aircraft 1
- Airbus A330 243 · all A330s on the register
- Registration
- N4RALS · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
- Aircraft 2
- Boeing 737 8 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- A6FME · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules
The factual record for the Airbus A330 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Air traffic event during enroute (descent) defining event
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Operator: Sri Lankan Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: VOMM Chennai OF
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
The factual record for the Boeing 737 from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
The flight
- Destination: VRMM Hulhule OF
- A second pilot was aboard
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.
Other NTSB records under N4RALS 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.