Boeing 737-291A accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico, June 11, 1997
On June 11, 1997 at about 5:35 pm local time, a Boeing 737-291A, registered N980UA, was involved in an accident near Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 107 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the sudden 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 11, 1997 · about 5:35 pm local time
- Place
- Albuquerque, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 107 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-291A · all 737-291As on the register
- Registration
- N980UA · registry record · serial 21545
- 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 airplane was descending through FL180 when the crew was advised of reported light to moderate turbulence in the area. The captain instructed passengers and flight attendants to return to their seats and fasten their seatbelts. Shortly thereafter, the airplane encountered turbulence. Before getting into her seat and restraining herself, a flight attendant was injured when she struck her back against a seat armrest. X-rays later revealed that she had fractured a bone in her shoulder.
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 multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 78 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 49,886 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 23, 1997; 229 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 117,000 lb
- Seats: 116
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DEN Denver CO
- Destination: ABQ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from ABQ, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 103 |
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.