Airbus Industrie A-320-232 accident near Newark, New Jersey, April 7, 1997
On April 7, 1997 at about 12:00 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-320-232, registered N413UA, was involved in an accident near Newark, New Jersey. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 44 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an encounter with unforecasted turbulence, during cruise flight, which resulted in serious injury to 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 7, 1997 · about 12:00 pm local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 44 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-320-232 A320-232 · all A-320-232s on the register
- Registration
- N413UA · no longer on the register · serial 470
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
Prior to departure, the pilot obtained a company generated full weather briefing for the intended route of flight, which did not call for turbulence. During cruise flight at 16,000 feet, the flight encountered unforecasted turbulence. During the encounter, a flight attendant fell and fractured a bone in her foot.
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; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,834 hours in all; 1,809 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 169,750 lb
- Seats: 151
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Int'L Aero En V2527-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOS Boston MA
- Destination: EWR NJ
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,200 ft; scat at 400 ft
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 55°F (13°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:56 am from BOS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 5 | ||
| Passengers | 39 |
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.