Airbus Industrie A-320-231 accident near Beatty, Nevada, September 17, 1999
On September 17, 1999 at about 4:47 am local time, a Airbus Industrie A-320-231, registered N628AW, was involved in an accident near Beatty, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 10 people had minor injuries; 128 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the failure of the injured passengers to remain seated with their seat belts fastened as directed by the captain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 17, 1999 · about 4:47 am local time
- Place
- Beatty, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 10 people had minor injuries; 128 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-320-231 A320-231 · all A-320-231s on the register
- Registration
- N628AW · registry record · serial 067
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
While descending toward the destination airport, the pilot was deviating around thunderstorms and using his airborne radar to identify severe cells. It was a dark night and he was unable to make visual contact with the severe weather. The captain turned on the seat belt sign 45 minutes before the accident due to 'light chop' that he had encountered earlier in the flight. He made a PA announcement in which he told the passengers to return to their seats and to fasten their seat belts. About 20 minutes prior to the accident, he directed the flight attendants to suspend service and to secure the cabin. Once again, he made a PA announcement advising passengers of the increased chance of turbulence during the remainder of the flight. The aircraft encountered turbulence that lasted a few seconds with one large 'bump' that was accompanied by a sudden altitude gain that lasted a couple of seconds. After the event, flight attendants reported injuries to several passengers. According to the flight attendants, one or more of the injured passengers were out of the seats at the time of the turbulence encounter.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,259 hours in all; 253 in this make and model; 192 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 31,622 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 17, 1999; 374 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 164,569 lb
- Seats: 156
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Int'L Aero En V2500A1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: America West Airlines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SEA Seattle WA at 2:55 am
- Destination: LAS Las Vegas NV
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 320° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 3:56 am from LAS, 110 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 7 | 126 |
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 N628AW 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.