N186UA

On February 12, 1994, about 1345 coordinated universal time, a Boeing 747-400, N186UA, encountered clear air turbulence at flight level FL350 while in cruise over the Pacific Ocean at a position W 157.00 by S 010.03.4. During the encounter, one of the flight attendants fell, sustaining a fractured right clavicle. The aircraft was operated by United Airlines, Inc., as flight 841, a scheduled international passenger flight from Los Angeles, California, to Auckland, New Zealand, under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121 of the Federal Aviation Regulations. The aircraft was not damaged. One flight attendant sustained serious injuries; however, the remaining 408 passengers and crewmembers were not injured. The flight originated at Los Angeles, California, on the day of the mishap at 0626 Pacific standard time as a nonstop flight to New Zealand.

According to United Airlines, the aircraft was on an authorized off-course deviation, approaching MEGOG intersection, to circumvent some convective activity which had been identified on radar. As a precaution, the "fasten seatbelt" light was illuminated and the captain told the chief purser to advise the other flight attendants of possible turbulence and to be seated. Approximately ten minutes later at MEGOG intersection, the aircraft encountered three to five seconds of what the captain described as moderate-to-severe turbulence. The weather radar was on at the time of the actual encounter; however, there were no weather returns showing on the scope. During the turbulence, one flight attendant who did not get the prewarning was answering a passenger call, and was not seated. Passenger reports indicate that, at the onset the flight, attendant left the floor of the aircraft and came back down hard on her shoulder and side. It was later determined that the flight attendant suffered a hairline fracture of the right clavicle.