Aviation Crash Map

Boeing 737-724 N24736

20 February 2002 · Beaumont, Texas, United States · Serious injuries

Summary

On 20 February 2002 at about 00:30 local time, a Boeing 737-724 registered N24736 was involved in an accident near Beaumont, Texas, United States. 75 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

The record

Date
at 00:30
Classification
Accident
Location
Beaumont, Texas, United States
Coordinates
30.0703, -94.2150
Aircraft
Boeing 737-724
Registration
N24736
Category
Airplane
Engines
2
Operator
Not recorded
Operating rule
Part 121: Air Carrier
Phase of flight
Not recorded
Route
Houston → Washington
Aircraft damage
Not recorded
Weather
IMC
Light
Day
NTSB number
NYC02LA065

People

1 person was seriously injured.

On board Died Serious Minor Uninjured
75 0 1 0 74

Probable cause

An inadvertent encounter with convective induced turbulence, which injured a flight attendant. Factors were the failure of the airline to supply direction to the flight crew to indicate when the flight attendants could begin cabin service, and the convective induced turbulence.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The Boeing 737 departed into an area of known thunderstorms. After departure, at an altitude of 15,000 feet, the flight was operating in and out of clouds. The pilot reported that he was not receiving any significant weather radar returns ahead of the airplane. However, as he cleared a layer of clouds, he observed a cumulus cloud that was ahead of the airplane. The cloud was too close to avoid and he flew through the top of the cloud. While in the cloud, the airplane encountered turbulence which threw a flight attendant located in the rear of the airplane into the air, and he subsequently fell and fractured his ankle. The captain had briefed the crew prior to departure, but did not include any specific comments about delaying the start of cabin service until clear of the thunderstorms, nor was he specifically required to. The airline had no written direction for the flight attendants to know when they could leave their seats and begin cabin service.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.

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All 170,864 records in United States