Amateur-built DH-8-201 accident near Jacksonville, Florida, November 1, 1997
On November 1, 1997 at about 1:32 am local time, a amateur-built DH-8-201, registered N988HA, was involved in an accident near Jacksonville, Florida. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 17 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The passengers failure to secure her seatbelt as directed by the flight crew (seatbelt sign illuminated) on initial takeoff climb resulting in her ejection from her seat during an encounter with turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 1, 1997 · about 1:32 am local time
- Place
- Jacksonville, Florida · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 17 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built DH-8-201
- Registration
- N988HA · no longer on the register · serial 426
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The PIC stated he was on initial climb passing through 4,500 feet when the airplane encountered severe turbulence. The weather radar was on the 50 mile range with no weather depicted except for rain showers. The seatbelt sign was illuminated. A passenger who unbuckled her seatbelt was ejected from her seat and sustained serious injury.
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: 13,706 hours in all; 9,108 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 34,500 lb
- Seats: 40
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: U.S. Air Express
The flight
- Departed from: JAX at 1:30 am
- Destination: TPA Tampa FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 250° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,000 ft; scat at 2,800 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Observation at 1:29 am from JAX
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 14 |
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.