Boeing 737-300 accident near Springfield, Missouri, August 3, 1992
On August 3, 1992 at about 7:15 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N357SW, was involved in an accident near Springfield, Missouri. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 65 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE ENCOUNTER WITH SEVERE TURBULENCE WHILE DEVIATING AROUND CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 3, 1992 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Springfield, Missouri
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 65 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N357SW · no longer on the register · serial 26594
- 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 WAS IN A NORMAL DESCENT AND DEVIATING AROUND CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY WHEN THE CAPTAIN TURNED ON THE FASTEN SEAT BELT SIGN AND INSTRUCTED THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS TO BE SEATED. ONE OF THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS ON THE AFT FOLD DOWN JUMP SEAT WAS IN THE PROCESS OF BUCKLING UP WHEN SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WAS THROWN INTO THE CEILING AND THE RIGHT REAR EXIT DOOR AND SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES. MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS FORECAST AND HAD BEEN REPORTED AT HIGHER ALTITUDES. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT AT THE TIME THE AIRPLANE WAS CLEAR OF ALL THE ACTIVITY DEPICTED ON HIS RADAR.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,356 hours in all; 4,456 in this make and model; 227 in the last 90 days; 76 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 628 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 25, 1992; 74 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 130,500 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM-56-3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Southwest Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: STL St. Louis MO at 6:20 pm
- Destination: TUL Tulsa OK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| Passengers | 62 |
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.