Boeing 737 N7881A

Summary

On 29 September 2022 at about 16:30 local time, a Boeing 737 registered N7881A, operated by Southwest Airlines, was involved in an accident near Denver, Colorado, United States. 141 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

29 September 2022 at 16:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Denver, Colorado, United States

Coordinates

39.8617, -104.6732

Aircraft

Boeing 737

Registration

N7881A

Category

Airplane

Year built

2008

Engines

2

Operator

Southwest Airlines

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Kansas City → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DCA23LA008

1 person was seriously injured.

An encounter with clear air turbulence during cruise flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Southwest Airlines flight 48 encountered turbulence during cruise. One flight attendant sustained serious injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled passenger flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from the Kansas City International Airport (MCI), Kansas City, Missouri, to the Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, Colorado. According to the flight attendant, as she was pouring coffee into cups while in the front galley, the airplane encountered very light turbulence which she described as a ‘very light bump’. During the event, the coffee pot flipped over and spilled coffee onto the back of her hand, resulting in 2nd degree burns. After the event, the captain called back to the cabin to apologize for the turbulence and advised that it was unexpected. The flight attendant continued duties after the event, and there was no further turbulence. Prior to the flight, the captain discussed the possibility of turbulence during the preflight briefing, however the turbulence associated with the event was unannounced and unexpected.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.