Boeing 737-724 accident near Beaumont, Texas, February 20, 2002
On February 20, 2002, a Boeing 737-724, registered N24736, was involved in an accident near Beaumont, Texas. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 74 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An inadvertent encounter with convective induced turbulence, which injured a flight attendant. Factors were the failure of the airline to supply direction to the flight crew to indicate when the flight attendants could begin cabin service, and the convective induced turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- February 20, 2002
- Place
- Beaumont, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 74 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-724 · all 737-724s on the register
- Registration
- N24736 · registry record · serial 28803
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Boeing 737 departed into an area of known thunderstorms. After departure, at an altitude of 15,000 feet, the flight was operating in and out of clouds. The pilot reported that he was not receiving any significant weather radar returns ahead of the airplane. However, as he cleared a layer of clouds, he observed a cumulus cloud that was ahead of the airplane. The cloud was too close to avoid and he flew through the top of the cloud. While in the cloud, the airplane encountered turbulence which threw a flight attendant located in the rear of the airplane into the air, and he subsequently fell and fractured his ankle. The captain had briefed the crew prior to departure, but did not include any specific comments about delaying the start of cabin service until clear of the thunderstorms, nor was he specifically required to. The airline had no written direction for the flight attendants to know when they could leave their seats and begin cabin service.
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, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,926 hours in all; 5,554 in this make and model; 109 in the last 90 days; 35 in the last 30 days; 3,499 as pilot in command; 1,400 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 21, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 1,400 in this make and model; 186 in the last 90 days; 68 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 40 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 10, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 8,935.5 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 2, 2002; 433.4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 154,500 lb
- Seats: 129
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm International CFM 56-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm International CFM 56-7 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IAH Houston TX
- Destination: DCA Washington DC
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 12 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 2,900 ft; a few clouds at 900 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 66°F (19°C)
- Altimeter: 29.81 inHg
- Observation at 11:43 pm from BPT
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 70 |
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.