Boeing B-737-300 accident near Corpus Christi, Texas, August 9, 1990
On August 9, 1990 at about 12:15 pm local time, a Boeing B-737-300, registered N327SW, was involved in an accident near Corpus Christi, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 75 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE AIRPLANE'S UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER WITH CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 9, 1990 · about 12:15 pm local time
- Place
- Corpus Christi, Texas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 75 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-737-300 B737-300
- Registration
- N327SW · registry record · serial 23691
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE SCHEDULED PASSENGER AIRLINE FLIGHT WAS IN CRUISE AT FL 330 WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE (CAT). A FLIGHT ATTENDANT WAS THROWN ABOUT THE CABIN AND LANDED ON HER COCCYX BONE WHICH FRACTURED REQUIRING HOSPITALIZATION FOR MORE THAN 48 HOURS. THE CAPTAIN WAS DEVIATING AROUND CIRRUS AND CUMULUS CLOUDS WHEN THE ACCIDENT 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
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,459 hours in all; 9,494 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 130,000 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge FMC56-B1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HRL Harlingen TX at 11:40 am
- Destination: HOU Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 71 |
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.