Boeing 737 accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 18, 1987
On September 18, 1987 at about 11:13 pm local time, a Boeing 737, registered N318AU, was involved in an accident near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 74 others were unhurt. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 18, 1987 · about 11:13 pm local time
- Place
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 6 people had minor injuries; 74 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737 · all 737s on the register
- Registration
- N318AU · no longer on the register · serial 22886
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE ACFT WAS IN A HOLDING PATTERN AT 11,000' IN AN AREA OF THUNDERSTORMS & TURBULENCE. ALTHOUGH THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON, TWO PASSENGERS (PAX) WENT TO THE AFT LAVATORY. AS ONE OF THE PAX WAS WAITING & THE OTHER WAS EXITING THE LAVATORY, THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE. THE FLT ATTENDANTS (F/A'S) TOLD THE PAX TO BE SEATED; HOWEVER, THERE WAS NOT ENOUGH TIME & THE PAX WAS THROWN AGAINST THE EXTENDED LEG OF A F/A, WHO WAS BRACING HERSELF IN A F/A SEAT. THE F/A SUFFERED A BROKEN LEG. ANOTHER F/A & 5 PAX RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES.
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; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 16,210 hours in all; 1,200 in this make and model; 169 in the last 90 days; 61 in the last 30 days; 4,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 12,493 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme; 256 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 117,000 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT8D-15A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MSY New Orleans LA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 030° at 17 knots
- Visibility: 2 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 700 ft
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:21 pm from PHL, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | 3 | |
| Passengers | 5 | 71 |
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.