Skywest E175 near Austin on Aug 28th 2025, turbulence causes 4 injuries
Last Update: April 15, 2026 / 16:26:07 GMT/Zulu time
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
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
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.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Fleet type match
Skywest CRJ7 at Chicago on Jul 27th 2026, hail strike
A Skywest Canadair CRJ-700 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N608SK performing flight AA-5007 from Chicago O'Hare,IL to Wichita,KS (USA),…
Skywest E170 at Denver on Jul 11th 2026, brake temperature indication
A Skywest Embraer ERJ-170 on behalf of United, registration N732SY performing flight UA-5481 from Denver,CO to Springfield,MO (USA), was climbing out…
Fleet type match
Skywest E175 at Minneapolis on Jun 6th 2026, engine failure
A Skywest Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N244SY performing flight DL-4122 from Minneapolis,MN to Bentonville,AR (USA) with…
Skywest E175 at Bentonville on May 19th 2026, dropped wheel on departure
A Skywest Embraer ERJ-170 on behalf of United, registration N131SY performing flight UA-5849 from Bentonville,AR to Houston Intercontinental,TX…
Skywest CRJ7 at Hibbing on Nov 23rd 2025, restricted elevator control during flare
A Skywest Canadair CRJ-700 on behalf of Delta Airlines, registration N707EV performing flight DL-4229 from Minneapolis,MN to Hibbing,MN (USA) with 13…
Newest articles
Alliance AT72 at Bhubaneswar on Oct 8th 2024, "mowed" approach lights, touch down before threshold, tail strike
An Alliance Air Avions de Transport Regional ATR-72-212A, registration VT-RKF performing flight 9I-746 from Rourkela to Bhubaneswar (India) with 43…
Fleet type match
PSA CRJ9 near St. Louis on Oct 17th 2026, loss of cabin pressure
A PSA Airlines Canadair CRJ-900, registration N574NN performing flight AA-5089 from St. Louis,MO to Philadelphia,PA (USA), was climbing out of St.…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner
ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways