Boeing 737-300 accident near Boston, Massachusetts, February 3, 2000
On February 3, 2000 at about 1:00 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N397US, was involved in an accident near Boston, Massachusetts (Logan Int'L Airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 59 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
In flight encounter with turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 3, 2000 · about 1:00 pm local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts · Logan Int'L Airport
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 59 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N397US · no longer on the register · serial 23319
- 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 in cruise flight, the airplane encountered turbulence, and the flight attendants returned to their seats. The turbulence continued, and a cart began to break free. A flight attendant attempted to push the cart with her foot, and suffered a fracture.
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: 13,000 hours in all; 4,700 in this make and model; 150 in the last 90 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 138,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM56-3B2 (turbojet); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOS MA at 12:23 pm
- Destination: DCA Washington DC
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 280° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 16,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 18°F (-8°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 12:54 pm from BOS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 55 |
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.