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| Title: | Turbulence injuries, National Airlines, Inc., Boeing 747-135, N77772, Near Lake Charles, Louisiana, January 4, 1972 |
| Micro summary: | This Boeing 747-135 experienced turbulence in-flight, injuring several occupants. |
| Event Time: | 1972-01-04 at 1314 CST |
| File Name: | 1972-01-04-US.pdf |
| Publishing Agency: | National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) |
| Publishing Country: | USA |
| Report number: | NTSB-AAR-72-21 |
| Pages: | 14 |
| Site of event: | 50 miles SE of Lake Charles, LA |
| Departure: | Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, USA |
| Destination: | Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, USA |
| Airplane Type(s): | Boeing 747-135 |
| Flight Phase: | Cruise |
| Registration(s): | N77772 |
| Operator(s): | National Airlines |
| Type of flight: | Revenue |
| Occupants: | 330 |
| Fatalities: | 0 |
| Serious Injuries: | 42 |
| Minor/Non-Injured: | 288 |
| Other Injuries: | 0 |
| Executive Summary: | National Airlines, Inc., Flight 41, a Boeing 747-135, N77772, was a scheduled passenger nonstop flight, operating from Miami International Airport, Miami, Florida, to Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California. At departure from Miami on January 4, 1972, there were 317 passengers and a crew of 13 aboard Flight 41. Departure, climb, and initial cruise at assigned Flight Level 310 (FL 310) were routine. At 1314 c.s.t., approximately 50 miles southeast of Lake Charles, Louisiana, one jol t of turbulence was encountered. Crewmembers on the flight deck and in the forward section of the aircraft cabin described the jolt as light to moderate in intensity. In the rear cabin, the jolt was much more severe. Thirty-eight passengers and Four stewardesses sustained injuries which ranged from minor to serious. After determining that weather conditions in the immediate area were not favorable for landing, and after receiving assurance from two physicians attending to the injured that there would be no danger if more extensive treatment was not administered immediately, the captain decided to continue the flight to Los Angeles. After requesting and receiving preferential air traffic control handling, Flight 41 proceeded to Los Angeles International Airport and landed at 1425 PST. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was an encounter with sharp-gust convective turbulence during flight in instrument meteorological conditions while numerous occupants of the aircraft were unsecured by seatbelts even though the seatbelt sign was lighted. The Board also determines that a number of passengers were injured because priority was given by the stewardesses to regular passenger service duties rather than to the enforcement of sealbelt usage. |
| Learning Keywords: | Operations - Turbulence |
| Consequence - Flight Attendant Fatality - Injury |
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