Investigation brief · generated 2026-10-09 · source: NTSB public docket and accident database
BOEING 737 924 — Waco, TX, USA, 2016-08-17
NTSB number
DCA16CA214
Operator
United Airlines
Registration
N37408
Highest injury
Serious injury
Regulation
Part 121
Damage
—
Cohort
Part 121 airline
Recorder data
Tier 1 — decoded recorder tables
Every sentence below is taken directly from NTSB records — the accident database, the docket's recorder reports and the Board's findings — with its source noted. Nothing is paraphrased or inferred.
NTSB summary
On August 17, 2016, about 1215 central daylight time, United Airlines flight 1945, a Boeing 737-924, N37408, encountered moderate turbulence near Waco, Texas, while on the approach to land at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (KIAH), Houston, Texas. Of the 142 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant received a serious injury. The airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under the provision of 14 CFR Part 121 as a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Seattle-Takoma International Airport (KSEA), Seattle, Washington.
The captain was the pilot monitoring, and the first officer the pilot flying. About 40 minutes from landing, the captain called the cabin and asked the flight attendants to prepare the cabin early and be seated because he anticipated light chop/turbulence. As the flight was descending from FL330 feet to FL240 on the GUSHR2 RNAV arrival the airplane and was in and out of cumulus and stratus clouds. The seatbelt sign was illuminated, and the weather radar was on but there were no indications of turbulence depicted in front of the airplane, though the crew could see that the weather was building rather than dissipating with scattered cumulus clouds all around. As the flight entered one small cloud, the airplane encountered a very brief duration of moderate turbulence. The autopilot did not disengage. Shortly after, they received a call from the cabin informing them that one of the flight attendants had been injured.
At the time of the turbulence, the flight attendants (FA) were finishing their passenger compliance checks and securing the galleys. One of the aft FAs was in the process of securing the final latches in the galley when she was tossed about the galley, seriously injuring her right ankle. The other FAs assisted with stabilizing her and the flight landed without further incident. Paramedics met the airplane at the gate and the FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken ankle.
Boeing 737-924 · N37408 — 167,308 samples, 26 parameters, 11:40:00.0 to 12:43:00.9.
Parameter
Max
at
Min
at
Final
at
Pressure altitude ft
36,963.0
11:43:41.7
-148.0
12:42:55.7
-1.0
12:43:00.7
Computed airspeed kts
511.8
12:43:00.7
95.2
12:42:59.7
511.8
12:43:00.7
Vertical acceleration g
6.0
12:43:00.0
0.6
12:17:25.4
6.0
12:43:00.9
Computed from the docket's tabular attachment; times as recorded (local or SRN as published).
Sequence of events (FDR factual report)
Time
Event
Page
1215 CDT (approximate)
United Airlines flight 1945 encountered moderate turbulence at flight level 290 near Waco, Texas while on descent to land at George Bush Intercontinental Airport, Houston, Texas
1
12:17:21 CDT
Data indicated vertical acceleration variations ranging between 1.70 g's and 0.60 g's began (approximately 28 minutes before touchdown)
3
12:18:19 CDT
Vertical acceleration variations settled to about 1 g; aircraft had descended from a pressure altitude of about 29,100 ft to 26,710 ft while AP Cmd-B was selected
3
Extracted by claude-sonnet-5; 3 of 3 stated events verified against the raw recorder data.