Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 accident near Cross City, Florida, October 2, 1997
On October 2, 1997, a Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82, registered N33502, was involved in an accident near Cross City, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 91 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The in-flight encounter with turbulence associated with a nearby level 6 thunderstorm with moderate rain while deviating.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 1997
- Place
- Cross City, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 3 people had minor injuries; 91 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82 · all DC-9-82s on the register
- Registration
- N33502 · no longer on the register · serial 49739
- 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 330, while deviating to the right to avoid a nearby thunderstorm of level 6 intensity, the flight encountered turbulence that seriously injured a flight attendant. As reported by the captain, the moderate turbulence lasted about 1 second. At that time the seat belt sign was not illuminated. About 2 minutes after the accident, the Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center Weather Service Unit issued a center weather advisory which indicated a thunderstorm with moderate rain, tops to flight level 450, 20 nautical miles in diameter. When plotted, the location was located about 23 nautical miles from the accident location.
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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,389 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 23,882 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 20, 1997; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 149,500 lb
- Seats: 139
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ORD Chicago IL at 10:55 pm
- Destination: TPA Tampa FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 300° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | 2 | |
| Passengers | 1 | 89 |
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.