Boeing 767-224 accident near Atlantic Ocean, April 22, 2002
On April 22, 2002 at about 6:30 am local time, a Boeing 767-224, registered N68160, was involved in an accident near Atlantic Ocean. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 119 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The airplane's inadvertent encounter which clear air turbulence during cruise flight.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 22, 2002 · about 6:30 am local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 119 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 767-224 · all 767-224s on the register
- Registration
- N68160 · no longer on the register · serial 30439
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was in cruise flight at flight level 360, over the Atlantic Ocean, about 75 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it encountered turbulence. One flight attendant sustained a serious injury, and one flight attendant and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight continued to its destination and landed without further incident. Review of National Weather Service Weather Surveillance Radar revealed echoes along the airway where the turbulence event occurred; which implied that the turbulent event was likely associated with a Convective Induced Turbulence (CIT) encounter related to the airflow associated with cumulonimbus activity, and possibly above and downwind of the cumulonimbus cloud tops.
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 engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine sea; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 13,200 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 245 in the last 90 days; 75 in the last 30 days; 1,200 as pilot in command; 6,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 6, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 22,000 hours in all; 6,000 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 84 in the last 30 days; 6,000 as pilot in command; 2,500 on instruments
- Last flight review: January 12, 2001
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
Other crew
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,500 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,076 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 23, 2002; 381 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 395,000 lb
- Seats: 185
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF6-80C2B4F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF6-80C2B4F (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: GRU Sao Paulo at 1:15 am
- Destination: EWR Newark NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, bright
- Wind: from 060° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 13,000 ft; a few clouds at 2,100 ft
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 73°F (23°C)
- Altimeter: 29.92 inHg
- Observation at 6:45 am from TJSJ, 74 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 9 | |
| Passengers | 1 | 110 |
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.