Boeing 737-200 accident near Almosa, Colorado, May 5, 1986
On May 5, 1986, a Boeing 737-200, registered N28SW, was involved in an accident near Almosa, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people were seriously injured; 50 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. 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
- May 5, 1986
- Place
- Almosa, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 50 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N28SW · registry record · serial 22730
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A SOUTHWEST AIRLINE COMPANY BOEING 737, FLT NO. 558 EN ROUTE FROM DENVER, COLORADO, TO ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO, AT FL 350, ENCOUNTERED SEVERE CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE. THE UNEXPECTED WX PHENOMENA CAUSED THE ACFT TO 'DROP' SUDDENLY RESULTING IN TWO FLT ATTENDANTS BEING INJURED. AFTER THE ACFT WAS AGAIN BROUGHT BACK TO LEVEL FLT THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,050 hours in all; 4,950 in this make and model; 220 in the last 90 days; 80 in the last 30 days; 8,500 as pilot in command; 1,800 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 100,800 lb
- Seats: 122
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 11:48 pm
- Destination: ABQ Albuquerque NM
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 20 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,500 ft
- Temperature: 59°F (15°C), dew point 9°F (-13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 46 |
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.
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.