Boeing 767-232 accident near Caribbean Sea, September 29, 2004
On September 29, 2004 at about 5:45 pm local time, a Boeing 767-232, registered N109DL, was involved in an accident near Caribbean Sea (Aruba, Netherlands Antilles airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 144 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent encounter with severe turbulence during cruise, which resulted in a flight attendant being injured.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 29, 2004 · about 5:45 pm local time
- Place
- Caribbean Sea · Aruba, Netherlands Antilles · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 144 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-232 · all 767-232s on the register
- Registration
- N109DL · registry record · serial 22221
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The captain said the seat belt sign was illuminated and he made a public address requesting that passengers stay seated with their seat belts fastened. He said they encountered very brief moderate turbulence and a flight attendant was injured. The first officer/pilot-not-flying stated that prior to the turbulence event the captain had illuminated the seat belt sign, and had made a public address. The first officer also said that he had contacted the flight attendants and told them to stay seated. He said he then requested and received clearance to deviate around known weather ahead of their flight path. He said they did not penetrate any weather as seen on the airplane's display, but that they were in instrument meteorological conditions, and returned to visual meteorological conditions momentarily, after which another cloud was in front of them, but there was no precipitation associated with it on the radar display. He said there was not enough time to maneuver, and they were within the cloud for about 5 seconds at which time the turbulence occurred. One flight attendant stated that the time between the captain's announcement and the actual turbulence was a mere few seconds. A second flight attendant stated that she along with two other flight attendants were in the aft galley when the seat belt light was turned on to indicate initial approach when about 20 minutes away from Aruba. She further stated that there was normal light chop as they prepared the galley for landing. The second flight attendant said that the passengers were seated, when suddenly they encountered severe turbulence and the airplane dropped and jolted several times. A third flight attendant said that approximately 100 miles out from Aruba the captain turned on the seat belt sign and asked every one to be seated. She said the two flight attendants in the back were cleaning and stowing catering items and were not seated. Examination of the flight data recorder showed multiple vertical acceleration cycles between about positive 1.8 and 0.0 Gs, associated with the event.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,924 hours in all; 4,087 in this make and model; 221 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: September 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,393 hours in all; 1,167 in this make and model; 170 in the last 90 days
- Last flight review: May 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 67,045.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, August 1, 2004
- Maximum gross weight: 300,000 lb
- Seats: 213
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF6-80A2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF6-80A2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KATL Atlanta GA at 2:29 pm
- Destination: TNCA Oranjestad
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 070° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 30,000 ft; scat at 1,800 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 75°F (24°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 6:00 pm from TNCA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 6 | ||
| Passengers | 138 |
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 N109DL 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.