Airbus Industrie A-300B4-605R accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO, January 7, 1997
On January 7, 1997 at about 1:34 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-300B4-605R, registered N50051, suffered minor damage in an accident near Atlantic Ocean, AO. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 259 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an encounter with unforecast clear air turbulence and the flight attendant's failure to use the seat belt.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 7, 1997 · about 1:34 pm local time
- Place
- Atlantic Ocean, AO
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured and 5 people had minor injuries; 259 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-300B4-605R A300B4-605 · all A-300B4-605Rs on the register
- Registration
- N50051 · no longer on the register · serial 459
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was cruising at FL330 in visual meteorological conditions. There were no SIGMETS for turbulence in effect. Flight attendants were working in the forward and aft galleys in preparation for meal service when the flight encountered turbulence. According to the flight data recorder, the turbulence consisted of two pulses which were separated by 8 seconds. Each pulse had a maximum value of +1.6 g's as measured on the vertical axis of the airplane. The seatbelt sign was illuminated. Three flight attendants received minor injuries and a fourth was seriously injured with a fractured ankle. Two passengers in the rear of the airplane whose seat belts were unfastened 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, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,900 hours in all; 80 in this make and model; 2,500 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 375,800 lb
- Seats: 281
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PHL Philadelphia PA at 1:00 pm
- Destination: SJU San Juan PR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 3 | 5 | |
| Passengers | 2 | 254 |
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.