Aerospatiale ATR-72-212 accident near Ashevelle, North Carolina, November 20, 2000
On November 20, 2000 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Aerospatiale ATR-72-212, registered N630AS, was involved in an accident near Ashevelle, North Carolina. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 39 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight encountered forecasted turbulence, which resulted in serious injury to a flight attendant. Factors in this accident were; the captain's inadequate briefing to the cabin crew; and the insufficient information about the known turbulence that would be encountered during descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 20, 2000 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Ashevelle, North Carolina · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 39 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Aerospatiale ATR-72-212 · all ATR-72-212s on the register
- Registration
- N630AS · no longer on the register · serial 336
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
At 10,000 feet msl, while maneuvering for landing, the flight encountered an area of moderate turbulence. The seat belt sign was 'ON' and the flight attendants were performing pre-landing duties. One of the flight attendants broke a bone during the turbulence event. The captain was not informed about the injured flight attendant until he walked to the back of the aircraft after arriving at the gate. According to the injured flight attendant (F/A-A), she was briefed '...only [that it]...would be a little rough getting out of Atlanta, but once we got up everything would be ok...no warning from the cockpit at all of rough air/turbulence' Both flight attendants were knocked to the floor to a sitting position, and both said the turbulence didn't stop. The injured flight attendant said, 'I...was knocked to the floor over and over...up into the service door and the passenger door; my head hit the steps and ended up on the floor flat down...I stayed on the floor...no bells were given when the aircraft was descending...the only 4 bells I heard was at landing time. Also no announcements from [the] cockpit was made when descending through 10,000 feet to the passengers because we were in 0.75 moderate turbulence at the time.' SIGMET [significant metrological] November 2, and AIRMET (Airmen Meteorological Information Network) Tango update 3, calling for a large area of moderate turbulence below 12,000 feet, were current and applicable to the flight's descent into Ashville. The company verified that both the SIGMET and AIRMET were part of the captain's weather briefing, and he had them both in his possession before departure.
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 instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,900 hours in all; 1,300 in this make and model; 600 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 17,787 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, November 13, 2000; 145 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 48,501 lb
- Seats: 71
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW 127 (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ATL Atlanta GA at 9:00 pm
- Destination: AVL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 14 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 18°F (-8°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:13 pm from AVL
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | ||
| Passengers | 36 |
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.