Boeing 737-3G7 accident near Elko, Nevada, June 6, 1991
On June 6, 1991 at about 1:00 am local time, a Boeing 737-3G7, registered N304AW, was involved in an accident near Elko, Nevada. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 1 person was seriously injured; 138 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
AN UNSECURED CART. THE FACTORS TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: TURBULENT WEATHER CONDITIONS, AND POOR JUDGEMENT BY THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 6, 1991 · about 1:00 am local time
- Place
- Elko, Nevada · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured; 138 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Boeing 737-3G7 · all 737-3G7s on the register
- Registration
- N304AW · registry record · serial 304AN
- Damage
- Not recorded
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
WHILE IN CRUISE FLIGHT, THE FLIGHT ATTENDANT PREPARED THE SNACK CART FOR SERVICE. A POT OF COFFEE WAS PLACED ON TOP OF THE CART. THE ATTENDANT POSITIONED THE CART IN FRONT OF ROW 1 AND RETURNED TO THE GALLEY TO FILL A DRINK ORDER. THE ATTENDANT HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND TURNED AROUND TO FIND THAT THE CART HAD FALLEN OVER TOWARD ROW 1. THE POT OF COFFEE SPILLED ON A PASSENGER SEATED IN ROW 1B. THE PASSENGER WAS SERIOUSLY BURNED BY THE COFFEE.
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; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 4,000 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: unk
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 135,000 lb
- Seats: 149
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Cfm CFM56-3B1/3C1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: America West Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: PHX Phoenix AZ at 9:31 pm
- Destination: SEA Seattle WA
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Sky: not recorded; not recorded
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 1 | 133 |
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.