Boeing 757-2G7 accident near Las Vegas, Nevada, January 12, 2000
On January 12, 2000 at about 5:51 am local time, a Boeing 757-2G7, registered N909AW, was involved in an accident near Las Vegas, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 42 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Encounter with Clear Air Turbulence. Poor communication between the captain and flight attendants as to the urgency for the flight attendants to take their seats was a contributing factor.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 12, 2000 · about 5:51 am local time
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 42 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 757-2G7 · all 757-2G7s on the register
- Registration
- N909AW · no longer on the register · serial 24522
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
One flight attendant sustained serious injuries and another sustained minor injuries when the airplane encountered moderate to severe turbulence while in cruise flight at 35,000 feet. Approximately 2 hours from landing, the flight crew called the flight attendants to inform them that turbulence was expected (based on ATC ride reports) and to secure the cabin and galleys. The flight crew said the airplane had been slowed to 0.78 Mach when turbulence was encountered. One flight attendant, now in seat 34C, did not fasten her seatbelt immediately. She was lifted into the air during the encounter. She hit the overhead compartment and fell on an armrest and then to the floor.
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: 20,000 hours in all; 2,000 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: approved inspection programme
- Maximum gross weight: 240,000 lb
- Seats: 196
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CMH Columbus OH at 1:36 am
- Destination: LAS NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 170° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 am from ALS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 4 | |
| Passengers | 38 |
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.