Airbus Industrie A-300 accident near Long Island, New York, September 26, 1997
On September 26, 1997 at about 8:15 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie A-300, registered N14077, was involved in an accident near Long Island, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 162 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight encounter with clear air turbulence and the passenger's failure to comply with the fasten seatbelt sign.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 26, 1997 · about 8:15 pm local time
- Place
- Long Island, New York · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 162 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie A-300 · all A-300s on the register
- Registration
- N14077 · no longer on the register · serial 612
- 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 captain had began a routine descent from flight level 330, and placed the fasten seat belt sign on. About 10 to 14 minutes later, while the airplane passed through flight level 260, they encountered moderate clear air turbulence for about 15 to 20 seconds. A passenger returning to his seat sustained a twisted and dislocated ankle injury.
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, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,003 hours in all; 1,939 in this make and model; 172 in the last 90 days; 47 in the last 30 days; 2,503 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 302,000 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MIA Miami FL at 5:45 pm
- Destination: BOS Boston MA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 6,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 48°F (9°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 7:51 pm from JFK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 9 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 153 |
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.