Boeing 737-500 accident near Bishop, California, November 20, 1996
On November 20, 1996 at about 1:50 am local time, a Boeing 737-500, registered N916UA, was involved in an accident near Bishop, California. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 112 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
a clear air turbulence encounter.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 1996 · about 1:50 am local time
- Place
- Bishop, California
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 112 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-500 · all 737-500s on the register
- Registration
- N916UA · no longer on the register · serial 25383
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
A known area of clear air turbulence was encountered at FL290 shortly after the captain turned on the fasten seat belt sign and instructed the cabin crew to take their seats. An aft flight attendant was in the process of closing a door before she sat down when the aircraft experienced severe turbulence and dropped sharply in altitude. The flight attendant broke her right foot during the encounter and was treated at a local hospital after landing. Company procedures for the crew to follow when turbulence is anticipated is for the flight attendants to take their seats after the cockpit crew makes the announcement and turns on the fasten seat belt sign. The captain had been monitoring the flight conditions of other aircraft at various altitudes in the area and, when turbulence was reported ahead of the flight, he made the announcement.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 7,857 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,535 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 16, 1996; 1,013 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 122,500 lb
- Seats: 115
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56-3-B1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SFO San Francisco CA
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 270° at 55 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: -56°F (-49°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 108 |
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.