Boeing 757-2B7 accident near Wichita, Kansas, May 25, 1998
On May 25, 1998, a Boeing 757-2B7, registered N619AU, was involved in an accident near Wichita, Kansas. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 121 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The severe turbulence encountered as a result of the flightcrew's inadvertent flight into a rapidly developing thunderstorm.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 25, 1998
- Place
- Wichita, Kansas
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 121 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-2B7 · all 757-2B7s on the register
- Registration
- N619AU · no longer on the register · serial 27198
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During cruise at 39,000 feet, the scheduled domestic passenger flight encountered severe turbulence after inadvertently penetrating a rapidly developing convective cell (thunderstorm). One flight attendant was seriously injured, and three flight attendants and three passengers sustained minor injuries. There was no damage to the Boeing 757 airplane. When the turbulence encounter occurred, the flight was deviating around a large area of thunderstorms located about 40 nautical miles right of the airplane's flight path. The cell that the airplane penetrated was very small in comparison to the area of storms the flightcrew was trying to avoid. The seat belt sign was illuminated prior to the turbulence encounter. All of the injured flight attendants were attempting to stow food service items when the airplane encountered the sudden 'violent jolt that slammed [them] against the ceiling.' Following the turbulence encounter, the flight diverted to a nearby airport and landed without further incident.
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: 15,979 hours in all; 1,538 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 26,261 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 22, 1998; 311 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 230,000 lb
- Seats: 191
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PIT Pittsburg PA at 10:10 pm
- Destination: LAX Los Angeles CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | 4 | |
| Passengers | 3 | 117 |
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.