Boeing 737-300 accident near Chattanooga, Tennessee, August 29, 1996
On August 29, 1996 at about 7:53 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N392US, suffered minor damage in an accident near Chattanooga, Tennessee. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 3 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 84 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
clear air turbulence, which was encountered during cruise flight and resulted in injuries to passengers.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 29, 1996 · about 7:53 pm local time
- Place
- Chattanooga, Tennessee
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 3 people were seriously injured and 1 person had minor injuries; 84 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N392US · no longer on the register · serial 23314
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane encountered severe turbulence, while in cruise flight. The seat belt signs were not illuminated. The airplane weather avoidance radar was on, and no weather was present on the radar screen. When the captain was notified of injuries sustained by passengers, he accessed the situation, notified ATC, and requested to divert to another airport. The airplane landed with out further incident. Review of the digital flight data recorder revealed the airplane was subjected to severe acceleration oscillations. The vertical acceleration peaked at 1.81 g's, -1.38 g's, 1.99 g's, and continued to oscillate for 28 seconds. Review of weather data revealed no area of significant convection in the area.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 14,897 hours in all; 5,210 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 135,500 lb
- Seats: 140
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM56-3 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: US Air
The flight
- Departed from: TPA Tampa FL at 6:35 pm
- Destination: IND Indianapolis IN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 84°F (29°C), dew point 68°F (20°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:54 pm from CHA, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 3 | 1 | 79 |
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.