Boeing 737-522 incident near Ontario, California, July 15, 1997
On July 15, 1997 at about 3:34 am local time, a Boeing 737-522, registered N956UA, was involved in an incident near Ontario, California (Ontario International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 113 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a laser light source of undetermined origin directed toward the cockpit window of an aircraft in-flight by a person or persons unknown.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 15, 1997 · about 3:34 am local time
- Place
- Ontario, California · Ontario International · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 113 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-522 · all 737-522s on the register
- Registration
- N956UA · no longer on the register · serial 26704
- 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 aircraft was descending on radar vectors for the final approach course when the crew noticed a red laser beam that swept across the cockpit several times. A few seconds later, the laser encounter reoccurred. The aircraft was several miles from the approach end of the runway when the crew saw the laser emanating from a point on the ground north of their position. The crew notified air traffic control of the incident. There was no injury to anyone onboard the aircraft. Investigators from the FDA, the FBI, as well as airborne law enforcement personnel were notified; however, the source of the light remains undetermined. There were no NOTAMs in effect for laser light activity in the area at the time of the incident.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,265 hours in all; 1,997 in this make and model; 182 in the last 90 days; 100 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,180 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, June 23, 1997; 210 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 122,500 lb
- Seats: 115
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM56-3C (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFO San Francisco CA at 2:38 am
- Destination: ONT
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 26R, 12,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 240° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 2:37 am from ONT, 5 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 6 | |||
| Passengers | 107 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N956UA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.