McDonnell Douglas MD-80 N433AA
8 February 1999 · Raleigh, North Carolina, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 8 February 1999 at about 23:41 local time, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 registered N433AA was involved in an accident near Raleigh, North Carolina, United States. 138 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 4 had minor injuries. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:41
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Raleigh, North Carolina, United States
- Nearest airport
- Raleigh Durham Inter (RDU)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas MD-80
- Registration
- N433AA
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 121: Air Carrier
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Chigago → Raleigh
- Aircraft damage
- Not recorded
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Night/Dark
- NTSB number
- ATL99LA049
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 138 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 133 |
Probable cause
The flight encountered clear air turbulence while descending through 17,000 feet mean sea level (MSL).
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
According to the pilot, the airplane was descending through 17,000 feet for an approach into Raleigh, North Carolina when severe turbulence was encountered. The flight attendants were securing the passenger cabin and galley for landing at the time of the occurrence. The pilot reported that the fasten seat belt sign was on. According to the pilot, clear air turbulence was not forecasted. Examination, the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) revealed that the turbulence was encountered at an altitude of approximately 17,462 feet on a magnetic heading of approximately 144 degrees. The DFDR also indicated that during the turbulence, vertical acceleration reached a maximum of 2.05 G's and a minimum of -.49 G's.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other McDonnell Douglas MD-80 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 Oct 2000 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Birmingham, Alabama, United States | Continental Airlines | Minor injuries | - |
| 25 May 2000 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Paris, France | Air Liberte | No injuries | - |
| 20 Dec 1997 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | San Francisco, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 21 Dec 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Seattle, Washington, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Dec 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 29 Oct 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-80 | Jamaica, New York, United States | American Airlines, Inc | Serious injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22 Oct 1999 | Cessna 305C | Morganton, North Carolina, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 18 Dec 1999 | Cessna 152 | Hickory, North Carolina, United States | Profile Aviation Center Inc. | No injuries | - |
| 13 Jun 1999 | Lake LA-4-200 | Charlotte, North Carolina, United States | Gregory A. Crawford | No injuries | - |
| 5 May 1999 | Cessna 172 | Fontana, North Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 30 Jan 1999 | Piper PA-28-210T | Washington, North Carolina, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Jan 1999 | Piper PA-28-181 | Brevard, North Carolina, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |