BOEING 777-232

Atlanta, GA — July 12, 2013

Event Information

DateJuly 12, 2013
Event TypeACC
NTSB NumberDCA13CA128
Event ID20130712X61436
LocationAtlanta, GA
CountryUSA
Coordinates33.91000, -84.08305
Highest InjurySERS

Aircraft

MakeBOEING
Model777-232
CategoryAIR
FAR Part121

Conditions

Light ConditionNDRK
WeatherVMC

Injuries

Fatal0
Serious1
Minor0
None278
Total Injured1

Event Location

Probable Cause

Unexpected encounter with convective turbulence while the flight attendants were preparing the cabin for arrival.

Full Narrative

According to the flight and cabin crew statements, Atlanta Approach Control advised the crew that radar was showing an area of rain on the arrival route although the flight crew did not see any areas of precipitation on the airborne weather radar. During the descent to 11,000 feet the seatbelt sign was illuminated and the captain, who was the pilot monitoring, cycled the seatbelt sign and called the flight attendant (FA) at the 1L door via the interphone to notify the cabin crew to be seated. Before the 1L flight attendant was able to relay the message to all of the FAs to be seated, as they were all preparing the cabin for arrival, the airplane encountered several distinct jolts of turbulence. According to the flight data recorder data, as the airplane was descending through about 13,200 feet, the vertical acceleration fluctuated between +1.56 g's and +0.024 g's over a period of about 10 seconds.

During the turbulence the 4Rc FA who was in the aisle near the 3R door was lifted into the air and fell back down to the floor on her feet and knees. The FA was assisted to the 3R jumpseat, the flight crew was notified of the injury, and they requested paramedics meet the airplane upon arrival

The 4Rc FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with two broken ankles.

About This NTSB Record

This aviation event was investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). NTSB investigates all U.S. civil aviation accidents to determine probable cause and issue safety recommendations to prevent future accidents.

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