Airbus Industrie 319-131 accident near Sparta, New Jersey, September 30, 1999
On September 30, 1999 at about 5:15 pm local time, a Airbus Industrie 319-131, registered N821UA, was involved in an accident near Sparta, 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
The airplane's encounter with clear air turbulence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 30, 1999 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Sparta, New Jersey
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 44 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus Industrie 319-131
- Registration
- N821UA · registry record · serial 944
- 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 reported light chop to occasional light turbulence at flight level 310. About 15 minutes from the destination airport, a flight attendant was thrown against door 2L and became momentarily unconscious. The captain declared a medical emergency, and after landing, the flight attendant was transported to the hospital. She was diagnosed with a herniated C-6 disk, and underwent surgery to repair the disk. Weather reports indicated no forecasted turbulence along the route of flight. At flight level 310, winds were from the west/southwest at 50-70 knots.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,244 hours in all; 3,129 in this make and model; 163 in the last 90 days; 45 in the last 30 days; 3,129 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 155,200 lb
- Seats: 131
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Int'L Aero En V2522-A5 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: BOS Boston MA at 4:05 pm
- Destination: IAD Dulles VA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 300° at 16 knots, gusting 19
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 pm from PHL, 40 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 4 | ||
| Passengers | 40 |
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.