Boeing 737-3H4 N650SW

Summary

On 26 June 1999 at about 00:45 local time, a Boeing 737-3H4 registered N650SW was involved in an accident near Lafayette, Louisiana, United States. 142 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.

Date

26 June 1999 at 00:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Lafayette, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

Not recorded

Aircraft

Boeing 737-3H4

Registration

N650SW

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Purpose of flight

Unknown

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Houston → New Orleans

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

FTW99LA207

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's inadvertent flight into an adverse weather condition. A factor was the turbulence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The flight encountered turbulence while at FL330. The destination airport was reporting thunderstorm activity near the airport. The fasten seat belt light had been turned on and the passengers briefed about the possibility of encountering turbulence during the approach. The airplane entered a stratus layer of clouds with a small cell approximately 20 miles to the left of the airplane's flight path. The captain reported that the airplane experienced a 'sudden jolt' followed by 10 to 12 seconds of light to occasionally moderate turbulence. The turbulence ceased once the airplane exited the clouds, with smooth air prevailing for the rest of the flight. A flight attendant in the aft cabin sustained a broken ankle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.