Boeing 747-400 accident near Pacific Ocean, PO, February 12, 1994
On February 12, 1994, a Boeing 747-400, registered N186UA, was involved in an accident near Pacific Ocean, PO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 408 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the chief steward to verify that all flight attendants had been informed, and were complying with the captain's instructions to remain seated with their seatbelts fastened.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 12, 1994
- Place
- Pacific Ocean, PO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 408 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 747-400 · all 747-400s on the register
- Registration
- N186UA · no longer on the register · serial 26875
- 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 airliner was on an authorized off-course deviation, approaching MEGOG intersection, to circumvent some convective activity which had been identified on radar. As a precaution, the 'fasten seatbelt' light was illuminated and the captain told the chief purser to advise the other flight attendants of possible turbulence and to be seated. Approximately ten minutes later at MEGOG intersection, the aircraft encountered three to five seconds of what the captain described as moderate-to-severe turbulence. The weather radar was on at the time of the of the actual encounter; however, there were no weather returns showing on the scope. During the turbulence, one flight attendant who did not get the prewarning was answering a passenger call, and was not seated. Passenger reports indicate that, at the onset, the flight attendant left the floor of the aircraft and came back down hard on her shoulder and side. It was later determined that the flight attendant suffered a hairline fracture of the right clavicle.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea
- Flight time: 15,397 hours in all; 1,110 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,917 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 17, 1993; 1,265 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 870,000 lb
- Seats: 442
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW4056 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: LAX Los Angeles CA at 2:26 pm
- Destination: PAKL Auckland
- 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 | 20 | ||
| Passengers | 388 |
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.