Boeing 757-200 accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, April 8, 1996
On April 8, 1996, a Boeing 757-200, registered N653A, was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 193 others were unhurt. The weather was conditions the NTSB did not record.
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the in-flight encounter with unforecast, unexpected turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 8, 1996
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 193 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- conditions the NTSB did not record
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-200 · all 757-200s on the register
- Registration
- N653A · no longer on the register · serial 24611
- 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 pilots reported that the airplane was in cruise flight at 31,000 feet msl, when it encountered an area of unexpected severe turbulence. They indicated that the flight had been uneventful and smooth prior to the brief turbulence encounter. During the turbulence encounter, one of the aisle carts became airborne and struck a flight attendant's leg when it landed. There was no forecast for turbulence along the airplane's planned route of flight.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,243 hours in all; 2,726 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 240,000 lb
- Seats: 197
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JFK New York NY at 11:03 pm
- Destination: CCS Caracas OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 6 | ||
| Passengers | 187 |
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.