Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82 accident near Utopia, Texas, April 20, 1995
On April 20, 1995 at about 3:14 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82, registered N83872, was involved in an accident near Utopia, Texas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 57 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE ENCOUNTERED.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 20, 1995 · about 3:14 am local time
- Place
- Utopia, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 57 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-82
- Registration
- N83872 · no longer on the register · serial 49120
- 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 RESTRICTED TO FL250 DUE TO AN INOPERATIVE PRESSURIZATION COMPONENT. AIRMET 13C WAS IN EFFECT FOR A LINE OF SEVERE THUNDERSTORMS WITH TOPS ABOVE FL450 EXTENDING ALONG AND TO THE NORTH OF THE FLIGHT ROUTE. THE FLIGHT DEVIATED TO THE SOUTH OF THE THUNDERSTORMS; HOWEVER, MODERATE TO SEVERE TURBULENCE WAS ENCOUNTERED 3 TIMES IN ABOUT 10 MINUTES WITH EACH ENCOUNTER LASTING ABOUT 5 TO 10 SECONDS. THE CREW REPORTED THE ENCOUNTER AS CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE. THE CAPTAIN STATED 'CLEAR OF CLOUDS, NO TURBULENCE REPORTED BY ATC, NOTHING PAINTED ON OUR, OR ATC RADAR ON OUR FLIGHTPATH, CLEARING NEAREST CELL BY ABOUT 35-40 MILES.' ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, WHO WAS IN THE COCKPIT, REPORTED SITTING ON THE COCKPIT FLOOR AND HOLDING ON TO ARM RESTS DURING THE TURBULENCE. AFTER DEPARTING THE COCKPIT, SHE RESPONDED TO A CALL FROM THE SERIOUSLY INJURED FLIGHT ATTENDANT.
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: 20,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 11,000 as pilot in command; 1,200 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 39,177 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 13, 1995; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-217 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO at 1:30 am
- Destination: IAH Houston TX
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 52 |
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.