Boeing 737-2H4 accident near South Bend, Indiana, July 7, 1994
On July 7, 1994 at about 9:59 pm local time, a Boeing 737-2H4, registered N60SW, was involved in an accident near South Bend, Indiana. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 104 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE ENCOUNTER WITH UNFORCASTED AND UNREPORTED TURBULENCE.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 7, 1994 · about 9:59 pm local time
- Place
- South Bend, Indiana
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 104 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-2H4 · all 737-2H4s on the register
- Registration
- N60SW · no longer on the register · serial 21812
- 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 FLIGHT ATTENDANT WORKING IN THE AFT GALLEY FELL TO THE FLOOR SERIOUSLY INJURING HER BACK WHEN THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE. ACCORDING TO THE FLIGHT CREW, RADAR WAS USED TO AVOID WEATHER AS THE AIRCRAFT APPROACHED SOUTH BEND, INDIANA. THERE HAD BEEN NO PILOT REPORTS OF TURBULENCE, AND THE COMPANY DISPATCHER WEATHER PACKAGE DID NOT REPORT TURBULENCE. AS THE FLIGHT CLIMBED THROUGH FL200, MODERATE TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED FOR SEVERAL SECONDS. THE AIRCRAFT THEN ENTERED VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS AND SMOOTH AIR. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT THE UNEXPECTED TURBULENCE STARTED AND STOPPED SO QUICKLY THAT HE DID NOT HAVE TIME TO WARN THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS. THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ILLUMINATED AT THE TIME THE TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED.
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: 8,000 hours in all; 5,000 in this make and model; 260 in the last 90 days; 85 in the last 30 days; 3,500 as pilot in command; 1,500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 115,500 lb
- Seats: 130
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9(A) (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MDW Chicago IL at 9:10 pm
- Destination: CLE Cleveland OH
- 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)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 100 |
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.