British Aerospace BAE 146-200A accident near Denver, Colorado, December 21, 1996
On December 21, 1996, a British Aerospace BAE 146-200A, registered N606AW, was involved in an accident near Denver, Colorado. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people were seriously injured; 14 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an inflight encounter with unreported and unanticipated clear air turbulence during landing descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 1996
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were seriously injured; 14 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace BAE 146-200A BAE 146-20 · all BAE 146-200As on the register
- Registration
- N606AW · registry record · serial E2033
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
An Air Wisconsin Airline flight, operating as United Express Flight 684, had been cleared to descend from FL190 to 13,000 feet on the Thompson One Arrival into Denver. As the airplane was passing 14,000 feet, it encountered unreported and unanticipated clear air turbulence. Two flight attendants, making their pre-landing check of the cabin, were seriously injured. One flight attendant received fractures to her pelvis, collarbone, and two ribs. The other flight attendant sustained a fractured ankle.
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; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 7,155 hours in all; 2,171 in this make and model; 148 in the last 90 days; 64 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 21,438 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 17, 1996; 31 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 89,500 lb
- Seats: 91
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming ALF-502-R5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Air Wisconsin Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: EGE Eagle CO
- Destination: DEN CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 020° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; scat at 12,000 ft
- Temperature: 37°F (3°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 12 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N606AW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.