Boeing B-757-222 accident near Taos, New Mexico, March 23, 1996
On March 23, 1996 at about 4:20 pm local time, a Boeing B-757-222, registered N503UA, was involved in an accident near Taos, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 140 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an encounter with unforecasted clear air turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 1996 · about 4:20 pm local time
- Place
- Taos, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 140 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-757-222 B757-222
- Registration
- N503UA · registry record · serial 5003/24624
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While in cruise flight at flight level 330, the flight encountered unforecasted and unexpected clear air turbulence. An elderly passenger who was in the aisle fell and struck her arm on a seat armrest. The seat belt sign was off.
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: 17,804 hours in all; 578 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 20,084 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 30, 1995; 1,665 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 231,000 lb
- Seats: 195
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 2037M (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SNA Santa Ana CA at 2:48 pm
- Destination: ORD Chicago IL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 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 | 7 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 133 |
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.