Boeing 737-200 accident near Phoenix, Arizona, December 25, 1983
On December 25, 1983 at about 5:05 pm local time, a Boeing 737-200, registered N133AW, was involved in an accident near Phoenix, Arizona (Phoenix Sky airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 25, 1983 · about 5:05 pm local time
- Place
- Phoenix, Arizona · Phoenix Sky · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 5 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-200 · all 737-200s on the register
- Registration
- N133AW · registry record · serial 21735
- 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 ACFT WAS STANDING WITH ENGINES RUNNING AND A BAGGAGE HANDLER WAS BLOWN OFF HIS FEET WHEN HE WENT BEHIND THE ACFT. THE ACFT HAD BEEN CALLED BACK TO THE RAMP BECAUSE AN ACCESS DOOR WAS OPEN. THE BAGGAGE HANDLER APPROACHING THE ACFT FROMTHE REAR TO CLOSE THE DOOR FAILED TO SIGNAL THE CREW TO SHUT DOWN THE ENGINES. HE SAID HE BELIEVED HE HEARD THE RIGHT ENGINE SPOOLING DOWN. THE BAGGAGE HANDLER WAS THROWN ABOUT 8-10 FT AND LANDED ON HIS KNEE. HIS KNEE CAP WAS BROKEN. THE FLT CREW WAS UNAWARE OF THE ACCIDENT UNTIL INFORMED BY THE COMPANY.
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: single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,426 hours in all; 3,326 in this make and model; 7,518 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,826 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 23, 1983; 11 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 117,000 lb
- Seats: 122
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-9A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 7,000 ft
- Temperature: 54°F (12°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number LAX84LA122.