Dornier 328-100 accident near Springfield, Virginia, April 10, 2001
On April 10, 2001 at about 5:00 am local time, a Dornier 328-100, registered N423JS, was involved in an accident near Springfield, Virginia. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 13 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent encounter with turbulence during descent.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 10, 2001 · about 5:00 am local time
- Place
- Springfield, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 13 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Dornier 328-100 · all 328-100s on the register
- Registration
- N423JS · registry record · serial 3032
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the flight approached its destination, it entered an area of convective activity. The first officer contacted the flight attendant and advised her that she should secure the cabin due to possible turbulence. While descending through 4,000 feet, the airplane encountered "moderate or greater chop." During the encounter, the flight attendant was thrown to the floor while attempting to secure the galley. The captain elected to divert the flight to another airport, where it landed uneventfully. The weather recorded at the destination airport, about the time of the accident, included surface winds at 17, gusting to 22 knots, decreasing thunderstorms, scattered cumulonimbus clouds at 4,200 feet, a broken cloud layer at 9,500 feet, and an overcast layer at 11,000 feet.
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: 14,718 hours in all; 4,142 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 76 in the last 30 days; 13,404 as pilot in command; 3,495 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 13, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,493 hours in all; 1,733 in this make and model; 262 in the last 90 days; 76 in the last 30 days; 574 as pilot in command; 398 on instruments
- Last flight review: June 24, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 15,864 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, April 7, 2001; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 27,800 lb
- Seats: 35
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W PW119B (turboprop); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: CHS Charleston SC
- Destination: DCA Washington DC
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 320° at 17 knots, gusting 22
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; scat at 4,200 ft
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 2:00 am from DCA, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | ||
| Passengers | 11 |
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.