NTSB CAROL · Event
Event NYC94LA111
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
IN-FLIGHT ENCOUNTER WITH TURBULENCE IN THE VICINITY OF THUNDERSTORMS. A FACTOR RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WAS: IMPROPER PLANNING/DECISION BY THE PILOT(S).
Factual narrative
On June 29, 1994, at 1345 eastern daylight time, a Boeing 767-200, N606TW, operated as Trans World Airlines Flight 917, encountered turbulence while holding. One flight attendant received serious injures and three flight attendants received minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and flight 917 was operating on an instrument flight plan under 14 CFR Part 121. Flight 917 departed Barcelona, Spain, and its destination was John F. Kennedy Airport, New York, New York. The captain reported the flight was holding over the Hampton VOR at FL 240 (24,000 feet). He also reported the seat belt sign was illuminated in the cabin and all passengers had been checked for seat belt usage. He described the turbulence as "very short" in duration. According to an FAA report, and a telephone interview with the TWA Vice President of Safety and Engineering, a flight attendant was at work in the forward cabin, preparing the cabin for descent and arrival. The airplane encountered turbulence and the flight attendant was thrown into the air. Upon landing, he broke both ankles. The airplane was operating in visual meteorological conditions, between cloud layers, and thunderstorms were present in the area at the time of the accident. THE BOEING 767 WAS HOLDING AT FL240, BETWEEN CLOUD LAYERS, IN AN AREA OF KNOWN THUNDERSTORMS. THE PASSENGERS WERE SEATED AND THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ILLUMINATED. THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS WERE PREPARING THE CABIN FOR LANDING, WHEN THE AIRPLANE ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE. A FLIGHT ATTENDANT WORKING IN THE FORWARD CABIN WAS THROWN IN THE AIR; HE SUBSEQUENTLY RECEIVED FRACTURES OF BOTH ANKLES. THREE OTHER FLIGHT ATTENDANTS RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_1994_NYC94LA111.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence, thunderstorm). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Contractor Report (CR)
An Examination of Aviation Accidents Associated with Turbulence, Wind Shear and Thunderstorm
The focal point of the study reported here was the definition and examination of turbulence, wind shear and thunderstorm in relation to aviation accidents.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Observations of severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops
Data derived from the flight tapes of two airliners that experienced severe turbulence near thunderstorm tops are used to produce quantitative descriptions of the turbulence and its environment.
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Conference Proceedings
Operational evaluation of thunderstorm penetration test flights during project Storm Hazards '80
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is conducting a research project called Storm Hazards '80 in order to study the prediction, detectability and avoidance of the hazards of severe storm…
- NASA NTRS 2019 · Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Severe Turbulence and Maneuvering from Airline Flight Records
Digital flight records from reported clear-air turbulence incidents are used to determine winds and turbulence, to determine maneuver g loads, and to analyze control problems.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
Direct Numerical Simulations of Ice-Ocean Boundary Turbulence
Turbulent heat and freshwater transport at ice-ocean interfaces controls glacier and iceberg melt rates, yet the underlying physics remains poorly constrained.
- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER)
Political Turbulence and Aviation Safety: A Cross-National Analysis of Political Stability's Effects on Aviation Accidents
To what extent does political stability affect aviation safety? This research aims to link domestic political conditions and public safety through the consideration of aviation accident frequency.
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗