Skywest E175 near Austin on Aug 28th 2025, turbulence causes 4 injuries

Last Update: April 15, 2026 / 16:26:07 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Aug 28, 2025

Classification
Accident

Airline
Skywest Airlines

Flight number
UA-5971

Departure
Aspen, United States

Destination
Houston Intercontinental, United States

Aircraft Registration
N110SY

Aircraft Type
Embraer ERJ-175

ICAO Type Designator
E175

A Skywest Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of United, registration N110SY performing flight UA-5971 from Aspen,CO to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) with 45 passengers and 4 crew, was enroute at FL390 about 160nm north of Austin,TX (USA) when the aircraft encountered extreme turbulence causing the aircraft to descent to about FL347 before the aircraft began climbing again. Climbing through about FL374 the crew decided to divert to Austin,TX and initiated the descent towards Austin, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 18R about 35 minutes after leaving FL390. One passenger was taken to hospital with serious injuries, another passenger with minor injuries, two cabin crew also sustained minor injuries.

The airline reported two adult passengers were taken to hospitals out of abundance of caution. Emergency services that no injuries were life-threatening.

The FAA reported: "AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED A PRESSURIZATION ISSUE AND SEVERE TURBULENCE, AUSTIN, TX.", two passengers received serious injuries, the occurrence was rated an accident and is being investigated.

The remainder of the flight was cancelled.

The aircraft was still on the ground in Austin about 16 hours after landing.

On Apr 15th 2026 the NTSB released their final report and investigation docket concluding the probable cause of the accident was:

The airplane’s encounter with convective turbulence that resulted in serious injuries to a passenger who was out of their seat when the seatbelt sign was illuminated.

The NTSB analysed:

SkyWest flight 5971, a scheduled domestic passenger flight from Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE), Aspen, Colorado, to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston, Texas, diverted to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin, Texas, after encountering severe turbulence at FL390. As a result, one passenger received serious injuries.

The first officer, the pilot flying, stated they did not see significant weather near their route from ASE to IAH, but the flight crew did brief on the possibility of small thunderstorm cells developing as a threat while flying toward IAH. The flight crew stated that extra fuel was added to the airplane in preparation for possible deviations due to weather and that flight attendants (FAs) were briefed on turbulence when departing ASE. The departure from ASE was without incident.

While en route to IAH, the flight crew was cleared by air traffic control (ATC) to deviate left and right of the planned flight course due to thunderstorms in the area. The flight crew stated the seatbelt sign was illuminated due to these deviations from the planned flight course. The captain stated they used the onboard weather radar to look for heavy precipitation returns, but none showed up for their flight trajectory. Furthermore, the captain stated they did not receive information from their dispatcher or recommendations from ATC prior to encountering severe turbulence.

The flight crew recalled that the encounter with severe turbulence was sudden and unanticipated when the flight was clear of clouds. The first officer performed an upset recovery procedure and began an immediate descent and the captain contacted ATC and declared an emergency. The airplane leveled off at FL370 at the conclusion of the upset recovery procedure.

When the severe turbulence was encountered, one flight attendant (FA) was in the aisle preparing the cabin and the other was in the forward galley. Both FAs were thrown to the floor and remained there until the turbulence subsided. There were also two passengers out of their seats at the time of the turbulence. One passenger was in the aisle and was thrown to floor but was able to return to his seat. The other passenger was discovered by the aft FA in the aft lavatory with head injuries. The FA assisted this passenger to the aft FA jumpseat.

Shortly after the recovery, the flight crew received a “cabin altitude high” warning on the engine indication and crew alerting system (EICAS). The flight crew donned their oxygen masks and initiated an emergency descent to 10,000 ft. Subsequently, the flight diverted to AUS and landed without further incident. Emergency medical personnel met the airplane at the gate and transported both passengers to the hospital. One passenger was treated and released with minor injuries and the other was diagnosed with a fractures to her vertebra, tibia, and ribs.

Postaccident examination of the airplane found the outflow valve that regulates cabin pressure had malfunctioned.
Aircraft Registration Data
Registration mark
N110SY
Country of Registration
United States
Date of Registration
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Manufacturer
EMBRAER S A
Aircraft Model / Type
ERJ 170-200 LL
Number of Seats
Bi Subscribe to unlock
ICAO Aircraft Type
E175
Year of Manufacture
F d Subscribe to unlock
Serial Number
CApqjmmm Subscribe to unlock
Aircraft Address / Mode S Code (HEX)
Qmkpeb Subscribe to unlock
Engine Count
M Subscribe to unlock
Engine Manufacturer
Qh Subscribe to unlock
Engine Model
Lkcbjinj Subscribe to unlock
Engine Type
Bjqkfmchl Subscribe to unlock
Pounds of Thrust
Kefgm Subscribe to unlock
Main Owner
HkgfAlbqepbjjnnApncpfmqbqqc p lhjlpbepmlhjen igipnilAniekmfdmg AmcnApAdjeh Subscribe to unlock
Incident Facts

Date of incident
Aug 28, 2025

Classification
Accident

Airline
Skywest Airlines

Flight number
UA-5971

Departure
Aspen, United States

Destination
Houston Intercontinental, United States

Aircraft Registration
N110SY

Aircraft Type
Embraer ERJ-175

ICAO Type Designator
E175

This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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