Boeing 757-223 incident near Dickinson, North Dakota, July 10, 1997
On July 10, 1997 at about 9:41 pm local time, a Boeing 757-223, registered N660AM, suffered minor damage in an incident near Dickinson, North Dakota. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 22 people had minor injuries; 133 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an encounter with unforecast convection induced turbulence (CIT). Related factors were: the flight crew's improper evaluation of the weather, and an inaccurate preflight weather briefing by company weather personnel.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 10, 1997 · about 9:41 pm local time
- Place
- Dickinson, North Dakota · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- 22 people had minor injuries; 133 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-223 · all 757-223s on the register
- Registration
- N660AM · registry record · serial 25294
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in level cruise flight at FL370, flying in an area of widely scattered thunderstorm cells. The airborne weather radar was set to the 160 nm scale, and the tilt was approximately 1 to 2 degrees down. One cell was observed 20 nm to the left of the airplane towering above its altitude, a second cell was 40 nm to the right, and a third cell 'came up independently underneath' and in front of the airplane. The FASTEN SEATBELT sign was not illuminated, but earlier, the captain had delivered an address to the passengers advising them of the possibility of a bumpy ride ahead and to '...keep your seatbelts on while in your seats.' The flight encountered convection induced turbulence (CIT), which resulted in minor injuries to 20 passengers and 2 flight attendants. There were no injuries to the other 120 passengers and 5 crew members. Vertical acceleration was between +2.01 and -0.75 g's. American Airlines meteorologists prepared the flight plan and entered a turbulence index of '0' for that segment of flight (from Billings, Mt, to Dupree, SD), indicating smooth air on average for the segment. Convective activity had been forecast for the area.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,900 hours in all; 2,300 in this make and model; 164 in the last 90 days; 44 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 500 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,466 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 21, 1997; 492 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 251,000 lb
- Seats: 199
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-53-5E4B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 7:45 pm
- Destination: JFK New York NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 90°F (32°C), dew point 88°F (31°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 pm from DIK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 20 | 128 |
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.