Boeing 767-322ER accident near Caribbean Sea, July 16, 1993
On July 16, 1993 at about 7:15 am local time, a Boeing 767-322ER, registered N645UA, was involved in an accident near Caribbean Sea. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 161 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
TURBULENCE ENCOUNTERED DURING CRUISE FLIGHT AFTER ENTERING CIRRUS CLOUDS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 16, 1993 · about 7:15 am local time
- Place
- Caribbean Sea
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 161 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-322ER · all 767-322ERs on the register
- Registration
- N645UA · no longer on the register · serial 25280
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT AT FLIGHT LEVEL 350, THE FLIGHT ENCOUNTERED THE TOPS OF CIRRUS CLOUDS FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER BY TWO SHARP JOLTS OF TURBULENCE WHICH LASTED ABOUT 15 SECONDS. AT THE TIME OF THE ACCIDENT, THE WEATHER RADAR WAS ON AND NO WEATHER WAS DEPICTED. THE FLIGHT CONTINUED TO THE SCHEDULED DESTINATION WHERE THE INJURED FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE TREATED.
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; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,700 hours in all; 1,690 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 5,204 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, December 5, 1992; 2,896 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 400,000 lb
- Seats: 220
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W 4060 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: United Air Lines, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: SAEZ Buenos Aires OF at 1:59 am
- Destination: KJFK New York NY
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 7:15 am
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | 9 | |
| Passengers | 152 |
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.