N863DA

Unknown
Serious

BOEING 777-232S/N: 29735

Accident Details

Date
Friday, July 12, 2013
NTSB Number
DCA13CA128
Location
Atlanta, GA
Event ID
20130712X61436
Coordinates
33.909999, -84.083053
Aircraft Damage
Unknown
Highest Injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Serious Injuries
1
Minor Injuries
0
Uninjured
278
Total Aboard
279

Probable Cause and Findings

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

Aircraft Information

Registration
Make
BOEING
Serial Number
29735
Engine Type
Turbo-jet
Year Built
1999
Model / ICAO
777-232
Aircraft Type
Fixed Wing Multi Engine
No. of Engines
2
Seats
400
FAA Model
777-232

Registered Owner (Current)

Name
WILMINGTON TRUST CO TRUSTEE
Address
ATTN:CORPORATE TRUST ADM
1100 N MARKET ST
City
WILMINGTON
State / Zip Code
DE 19890-1100
Country
United States

Analysis

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.

Data Source

Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# DCA13CA128