Boeing 737-400 accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, September 19, 1994
On September 19, 1994 at about 10:39 pm local time, a Boeing 737-400, registered N433US, was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 131 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE INFLIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH TURBULENCE IN CLOUDS.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 19, 1994 · about 10:39 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 131 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-400 · all 737-400s on the register
- Registration
- N433US · registry record · serial 24842
- 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 IN CLOUDS THE AIRLINER ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE. NO ECHOES WERE OBSERVED ON THE AIRBORNE WEATHER AVOIDANCE RADAR. ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECEIVED SERIOUS BACK INJURIES. A REVIEW OF THE WEATHER AFTER THE ACCIDENT REVEALED THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATING IN AN AREA OF DEVELOPING CONVECTIVE CELLS THAT MAY NOT HAVE APPEARED ON RADAR.
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: 2,225 hours in all; 2,158 in this make and model; 152 in the last 90 days; 65 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 142,500 lb
- Seats: 146
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM 56-3B2 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CLT Charlotte NC at 8:54 pm
- Destination: PBI West Palm Beach FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 310° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,900 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:24 pm from PBI, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 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.
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.