On February 20, 1996, a Boeing 767-2B7 (registration N656US) was involved in an aviation accident near Pittsburgh, PA. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to anticipate unforecast moderate turbulence during the approach phase. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 5 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
An aircraft encountered moderate, unforecast turbulence while approaching its destination in a thin cloud layer at 10,000 feet. Despite the seatbelt sign being on, the flight crew landed safely without further incident.
What happened
The airplane was conducting an approach to its destination airport when it encountered moderate turbulence. At the time of the event, the aircraft was flying at an altitude of 10,000 feet mean sea level within a thin cloud layer. The flightcrew had already received a public address announcement regarding the arrival and noted that the seatbelt sign was illuminated prior to the encounter.
Despite the unexpected nature of the weather phenomenon, the flight continued without interruption. The crew successfully completed the approach and landed at the destination airport. There were no reports of structural damage or injuries resulting from the turbulence encounter.
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to anticipate unforecast moderate turbulence during the approach phase.
