Boeing 737-200 accident near Palacios, Texas, May 15, 1992
On May 15, 1992 at about 1:50 am local time, a Boeing 737-200, registered N67SW, was involved in an accident near Palacios, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 113 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FLIGHT'S UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER WITH MODERATE TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 15, 1992 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Palacios, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 113 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N67SW · registry record · serial P-3948
- 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 FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TURBULENCE SHORTLY AFTER ENTERING THE CLOUDS IN DARK NIGHT CONDITIONS DURING A NORMAL DESCENT. DURING THE ENCOUNTER, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT IN THE MID-CABIN AREA SUSTAINED A BROKEN ANKLE WHEN SHE WAS THROWN TO THE FLOOR. THE SEAT BELT LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, HOWEVER, THE THREE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE UP AND IN THE PROCESS OF CLEARING THE CABIN IN PREPARATION FOR LANDING. ALL OF THE PASSENGERS WERE SEATED. ALTHOUGH THE TURBULENCE HAD BEEN MENTIONED IN THE FORECAST, THERE HAD BEEN NO PIREP ALONG THE ROUTE OF FLIGHT.
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; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,155 hours in all; 226 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 36,420 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 13, 1992; 19 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 115,500 lb
- Seats: 130
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines CO.
The flight
- Departed from: HRL Harlingen TX at 1:19 am
- Destination: HOU Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 10,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 109 |
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.