Airbus Industrie A-300-B4-203 accident near San Diego, California, May 11, 1989
On May 11, 1989 at about 4:55 am local time, a Airbus Industrie A-300-B4-203, registered N972C, was involved in an accident near San Diego, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 93 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN UNEXPECTED ENCOUNTER WITH CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE WHICH SERIOUSLY INJURED A PASSENGER IN THE AFT LAVATORY.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 11, 1989 · about 4:55 am local time
- Place
- San Diego, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 93 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-300-B4-203 A300-B4-20 · all A-300-B4-203s on the register
- Registration
- N972C · registry record · serial 0289
- 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 AIRBUS A-300 WAS DESCENDING THROUGH 14000 FEET MSL WHEN IT ENCOUNTERED MODERATE TO SEVERE CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE. THE FASTEN SEAT BELT SIGN HAD BEEN TURNED ON APPROXIMATELY FOUR MINUTES PRIOR TO THE ENCOUNTER. A PASSENGER WAS IN THE AFT LAVATORY DURING THE ENCOUNTER AND SUFFERED A BROKEN ANKLE. THE RIDE PRIOR TO THE TURBULENCE WAS CLEAR AND SMOOTH.
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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 9,000 hours in all; 465 in this make and model; 5,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 9,887 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 5, 1989; 53 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 363,760 lb
- Seats: 272
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-50C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Continental Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX at 1:30 am
- Destination: SAN San Diego CA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 10 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 83 |
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.