Boeing 737-800 accident near Wooster, Ohio, August 16, 2003
On August 16, 2003 at about 5:40 pm local time, a Boeing 737-800, registered N329TZ, was involved in an accident near Wooster, Ohio (Cleveland-Hopkins Int. airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 132 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
- August 16, 2003 · about 5:40 pm local time
- Place
- Wooster, Ohio · Cleveland-Hopkins Int. · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 2 people had minor injuries; 132 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-800 · all 737-800s on the register
- Registration
- N329TZ · no longer on the register · serial 32615
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
As the flight was being vectored around weather, the airplane encountered turbulence. A flight attendant, who was preparing the cabin for landing, fell and suffered a broken ankle.
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: 5,558 hours in all; 781 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 26, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,051 hours in all; 1,076 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 13, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,365 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 8, 2003; 348 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 174,200 lb
- Seats: 185
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CFM 56-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CFM 56-7B (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MCUN Cancun at 2:35 pm
- Destination: CLE Cleveland OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 270° at 14 knots
- Visibility: 6 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,100 ft
- Temperature: 88°F (31°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 29.94 inHg
- Observation at 5:51 pm from CLE, 35 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| Passengers | 129 |
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.