Boeing 737-300 accident near La Plata, Maryland, April 25, 2007
On April 25, 2007 at about 11:35 pm local time, a Boeing 737-300, registered N648SW, was involved in an accident near La Plata, Maryland. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 102 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight encounter with turbulence and the flight crew's failure to advise the cabin crew about potential forecast turbulence, as reported by the flight attendant.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 25, 2007 · about 11:35 pm local time
- Place
- La Plata, Maryland · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 102 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-300 · all 737-300s on the register
- Registration
- N648SW · no longer on the register · serial 27718
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was descending through a layer of broken clouds during approach for landing when it encountered turbulence. A flight attendant who was standing in the aft galley sustained a fractured ankle. The weather packet issued to the flight crew contained airmen's meteorological information which warned of moderate turbulence for altitudes below 12,000 feet in the accident location. The operator's procedures required the flight crew to brief the cabin crew prior to each flight regarding the forecast turbulence for the trip, but the injured flight attendant stated that the briefing did not contain any significant turbulence potential information, and that there were not any en route turbulence updates.
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; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 12,722 in this make and model
- Last flight review: December 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,434 in this make and model
- Last flight review: May 1, 2006
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 33,850 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 1, 2007
- Maximum gross weight: 139,000 lb
- Seats: 145
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: Cfm International CFM-56-3B1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: Cfm International CFM-56-3B1 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BHM Birmingham AL at 10:15 pm
- Destination: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 060° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 7,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.82 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 pm from NYG, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 98 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N648SW the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.