Boeing 737-242C accident near Reno, Nevada, March 4, 1998
On March 4, 1998 at about 9:15 pm local time, a Boeing 737-242C, registered N746AS, was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 110 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
Unforecasted and sudden encounter with clear air turbulence when passengers and flight attendants were not secured in their seats.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 4, 1998 · about 9:15 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 110 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-242C · all 737-242Cs on the register
- Registration
- N746AS · registry record · serial 23123
- 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 fight encountered severe clear air turbulence en route at flight level 350 and diverted to Reno, Nevada.. There were no reports of clear air turbulence from other pilots nor was it forecasted. The seat belt signs were off at the time. A review of the flight data recorder indicated that, for the period involved, vertical acceleration (Nz) varied from +1g to +1.5g to -0.07g to +1.3g to +0.86g over a 6-second period. The recorded data also indicated that atmospheric stability existed at flight level 350 several minutes prior to the turbulent onset. There was little or no warning given to the flight crew of the impending turbulent conditions.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 3,000 in this make and model; 120 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 40,001 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 8, 1997; 724 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 128,600 lb
- Seats: 119
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-17 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 8:10 pm
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 305° at 100 knots, gusting 30
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 30,000 ft
- Temperature: -65°F (-54°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Passengers | 3 | 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.