Boeing 737-201 accident near Granite, Colorado, June 22, 1996
On June 22, 1996 at about 9:45 pm local time, a Boeing 737-201, registered N207AU, was involved in an accident near Granite, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 95 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An encounter with clear air turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 1996 · about 9:45 pm local time
- Place
- Granite, Colorado
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 95 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-201 · all 737-201s on the register
- Registration
- N207AU · registry record · serial 19423
- 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 crew had been forewarned to expect severe turbulence on descent into the Denver area. The 'Fasten Seat Belts' sign was turned on, and flight attendants were instructed to make sure everyone was seated with their seat belts fastened. An elderly woman got up and walked towards the aft lavatory. Light turbulence was encountered as a flight attendant attempted to seat the passenger in a jump seat. Before seat belts could be fastened, the airplane encountered severe turbulence. The passenger and flight attendant were thrown around the cabin, sustaining a serious injury and minor injury, respectively. Another flight attendant and a passenger also sustained minor injuries.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 21,230 hours in all; 893 in this make and model; 180 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 83 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 22, 1996; 9 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 109,000 lb
- Seats: 113
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Frontier Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: ABQ Albuquerque NM at 9:05 pm
- Destination: DEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 20 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 46°F (8°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from DEN, 109 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 1 | 91 |
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.