Boeing B-747-123 accident near Bridgetown, Bf, November 3, 1988
On November 3, 1988 at about 7:20 am local time, a Boeing B-747-123, registered N9674, was involved in an accident near Bridgetown. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 211 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT TO NOTICE THAT THE ELEVATOR WAS NOT PRESENT AS SHE ENTERED THE ELEVATOR SHAFT AND PRIOR TO CLOSING THE DOOR.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 3, 1988 · about 7:20 am local time
- Place
- Bridgetown, Burkina Faso
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 211 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing B-747-123
- Registration
- N9674 · no longer on the register
- 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 FLIGHT ATTENDANT ENTERED THE ELEVATOR SHAFT, FAILED TO NOTICE THE ELEVATOR WAS NOT PRESENT AND CLOSED THE ELEVATOR DOOR BEHIND HER. AT THE SAME TIME A FLIGHT ATTENDANT ON THE UPPER DECK ENTERED THE ELEVATOR AND STARTED THE ELEVATOR DOWN. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT BELOW THE ELEVATOR SCREAMED AND THE ELEVATOR WAS STOPPED THEN RETURNED TO THE UPPER LEVEL. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT SUFFERED A LACREATED SCALP AND COMPRESSION OF THE T2 AND T5 VERTEBRAE. ACCORDING TO THE OPERATOR, THERE WERE VISUAL CUES PRESENT THAT WOULD INDICATE THE ELEVATOR WAS NOT PRESENT.
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: 19,500 hours in all; 5,700 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 710,000 lb
- Seats: 395
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: P&W JT90-7A (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: JFK New York NY
- Destination: GIG Rio De Janeiro OF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 15 | ||
| Passengers | 196 |
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 N9674 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.