Summary
On August 22, 2014, a Embraer S A ERJ170-200LR (N421YX) was involved in an accident near Hemphill, TX. The accident resulted in 1 serious injury, 1 minor injury, with 52 people uninjured out of 54 aboard.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: The airplane's inadvertent encounter with wake turbulence during cruise flight, which resulted in a serious injury to a flight attendant.
While cruising in smooth air conditions with no clouds in the area and with the autopilot on and the seat belt sign off the airplane had a brief encounter with what the flight crew described as wake turbulence. The momentary turbulence resulted in a sharp roll deviation of about 15 to 20 degrees. The turbulence lasted for less than five seconds then returned to smooth air conditions. One of the two flight attendants who had been standing in the rear galley was seriously injured and the other flight attendant sustained a minor injury. No significant turbulence had been forecast, and the flight crew had not overheard any airplanes in the area reporting turbulence. Immediately after the encounter, the airplane continued in smooth air conditions.
This accident is documented in NTSB report CEN14CA455. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N421YX.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
The airplane's inadvertent encounter with wake turbulence during cruise flight, which resulted in a serious injury to a flight attendant.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Current)
Analysis
While cruising in smooth air conditions with no clouds in the area and with the autopilot on and the seat belt sign off the airplane had a brief encounter with what the flight crew described as wake turbulence. The momentary turbulence resulted in a sharp roll deviation of about 15 to 20 degrees. The turbulence lasted for less than five seconds then returned to smooth air conditions. One of the two flight attendants who had been standing in the rear galley was seriously injured and the other flight attendant sustained a minor injury. No significant turbulence had been forecast, and the flight crew had not overheard any airplanes in the area reporting turbulence. Immediately after the encounter, the airplane continued in smooth air conditions.
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# CEN14CA455