Boeing 737-4B7 accident near Boston, Massachusetts, October 23, 1991
On October 23, 1991 at about 9:07 pm local time, a Boeing 737-4B7, registered N441US, was involved in an accident near Boston, Massachusetts (Logan airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 91 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A LATCH FAILURE ON A DOOR IN THE AFT GALLEY WHICH ALLOWED A LIQUOR KIT TO ROLL FORWARD.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 1991 · about 9:07 pm local time
- Place
- Boston, Massachusetts · Logan
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 91 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-4B7 · all 737-4B7s on the register
- Registration
- N441US · registry record · serial 24812
- 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 BOEING 737 WAS ON LANDING ROLL WHEN A DOOR IN THE AFT GALLEY OPENED. A LIQUOR KIT ROLLED OUT TOWARD AN AFT FACING FLIGHT ATTENDANT WHO FENDED OFF THE KIT WITH HER LEFT HAND. HER HAND BENT REARWARD AND THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECEIVED A BROKEN WRIST. BOTH FLIGHT ATTENDANTS SEATED IN THE REAR OF THE AIRPLANE SAID THEY BELIEVED THE DOOR WAS LOCKED PRIOR TO LANDING. AFTER LANDING THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE ABLE TO OPEN THE DOOR AGAIN BY HAND AFTER IT WAS LOCKED. MAINTENANCE PERSONNEL WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE; HOWEVER, THE LATCHES WERE REPLACED AS A PRECAUTION.
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
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded, January 2, 2000
- Maximum gross weight: 142,500 lb
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CFM56 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BWI Baltimore MD
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4, 7,860 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 100° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:50 pm from BOS, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 86 |
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.