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| Date: | Tuesday 19 February 2002 |
| Time: | 18:30 |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-724 |
| Owner/operator: | Continental Airlines |
| Registration: | N24736 |
| MSN: | 28803/380 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1999 |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-7B |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 75 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Beaumont , Texas -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Houston-George Bush Intercontinental Airport, TX (IAH/KIAH) |
| Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport, DC (DCA/KDCA) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
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.
Probable Cause and Findings
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.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 29 March 2025 | N24736 | United Airlines | 0 | Near Washington-Ronald Reagan National Airport, DC (DCA/KDCA) | |
non |
| 16 July 2025 | N24736 | United Airlines | 0 | near Chicago-O’Hare International Airport, IL (ORD/KORD) | |
unk |
| Engine failure | ||||||
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 26-Sep-2024 15:07 | ASN | Added |
| 26-Sep-2024 17:04 | Anon. | Updated [Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, Accident report, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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