Event Details


Title:Turbulence injury, Boeing 767-224, April 22, 2002
Micro summary:This Boeing 767-224 encountered turbulence in cruise, seriously damaging a flight attendant
Event Time:2002-04-22 at 0230 EDT
File Name:2002-04-22-US.pdf
Publishing Agency:National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Publishing Country:USA
Report number:NYC02LA088
Pages:6
Site of event:Atlantic Ocean
Departure:Guarulhos International Airport, So Paulo, So Paulo, Brazil
Destination:Newark Liberty International Airport, Newark & Elizabeth, New Jersey, USA
Airplane Type(s):Boeing 767-224
Flight Phase:Cruise
Registration(s):N68160
Operator(s):Continental Airlines
Type of flight:Revenue
Occupants:122
Fatalities:
Serious Injuries:1
Minor/Non-Injured:121
Other Injuries:0
Executive Summary:

NTSB short summary:

The airplane's inadvertent encounter which clear air turbulence during cruise flight.

NTSB synopsis:

The airplane was in cruise flight at flight level 360, over the Atlantic Ocean, about 75 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it encountered turbulence. One flight attendant sustained a serious injury, and one flight attendant and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight continued to its destination and landed without further incident. Review of National Weather Service Weather Surveillance Radar revealed echoes along the airway where the turbulence event occurred; which implied that the turbulent event was likely associated with a Convective Induced Turbulence (CIT) encounter related to the airflow associated with cumulonimbus activity, and possibly above and downwind of the cumulonimbus cloud tops.

NTSB factual narrative text:

On April 22, 2002, about 0230 eastern daylight time, a Boeing 767-224, N68160, operated by Continental Airlines Inc, as flight 30, encountered turbulence while in cruise flight over the Atlantic Ocean, about 75 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three airline transport rated flight crew members, 110 passengers, and 6 flight attendants were not injured; however, 1 flight attendant sustained a serious injury, and 1 flight attendant and 1 passenger sustained minor injuries. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Sao Paulo, Brazil, destined for the Newark International Airport (EWR), Newark, New Jersey. The scheduled passenger flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.

According to a representative of Continental Airlines, the flight crew reported that the airplane was in cruise flight at flight level 360, on the "A-300 airway, between DDP and LENNT," when the airplane encountered clear air turbulence.

In a written statement, the pilot-in-command (PIC) said he was seated in the captain's seat, when the international relief officer (IRO) relieved the first officer as the flying pilot. Shortly thereafter, the airplane was "in turbulence and red lights were flashing, indicating mach overspeed." The PIC immediately took control of the airplane, reduced the power to idle and disconnected the autopilot. Additionally, he stated that the seat belt sign was "on" and the disruption from smooth flight lasted "maybe 3 seconds, but was quite startling."

The flight continued to EWR, and landed without further incident.

The airplane was equipped with a Fairchild L-3 Communications digital flight data recorder (DFDR). Examination of the DFDR by a Safety Board Vehicle Recorder Specialist's revealed the airplane experienced a vertical acceleration which ranged between +1.66 and -0.19 g's during the turbulence event.

According to a to Safety Board's Meteorological Study prepared for this accident:

The National Weather Service (NWS) tropical weather discussion issued at 0200, indicated that the middle and upper level synoptic features consisted of a cyclonic circulation center located near 160 miles north of the Dominican Republic. A trough of low pressure extended from the circulation center to just south of Jamaica. Dry air and subsidence was indicated north and northwest of the immediate vicinity of the turbulence event.

The closest NWS Weather Surveillance Radar-1988, Doppler (WSR-88D) was located in southern Puerto Rico. Review of the base reflectivity image taken at 0244 depicted several bands of convection oriented in a northeast to southwest direction extending west through northeast of the island, with another area east through southeast. The band north of Puerto Rico had a maximum echo of 54 decibels (dBZ) with other echoes ranging from 15 to 49 dBZ. The echoes covered the airway where the turbulence event occurred; which implied that the turbulent event was likely associated with a Convective Induced Turbulence (CIT) encounter related to the airflow associated with cumulonimbus activity, and possibly above and downwind of the cumulonimbus cloud tops.

Learning Keywords:Operations - Turbulence
Consequence - Flight Attendant Fatality - Injury
Close match:Turbulence, Report on the accident to Airbus A330-342 B-HYA within the Manila Flight Information Region on 18 July 2003
Accident involving turbulence and Aer Arann ATR-42-300 on descent to Donegal International Airport, Ireland, on December 2, 2001
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 747-443, G-VROM
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 777-236, G-VIIO
Turbulence injuries, Airbus A300B4-605R, G-MONR
Severe turbulence, Boeing 777-236, G-YMME
Turbulence, Boeing 747-436, G-CIVP
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 777-200, N786UA
Turbulence injury, Boeing 777, April 25, 2006
Turbulence injury, Boeing 757-223, June 5, 2005
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-700, April 29, 2005
Turbulence injury, Boeing 767-232, September 29, 2004
Turbulence injury, Boeing 777, July 25, 2004
Turbulence injury, Airbus A319, July 17, 2004
Turbulence injury, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, July 15, 2004
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-7H4, June 4, 2004
Turbulence injury, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, May 26, 2004
Turbulence injury, Boeing 767-300, April 10, 2004
Turbulence injury, Boeing 757-200, March 1, 2004
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 737-500, November 1, 2003
Turbulence injuries, Pan American World Airways, Inc., Boeing 747-121, N739PA, near Nantucket, Massachusetts, November 4, 1970
Turbulence, Northwest Airlines, Inc., Boeing 747-151, N606US, Over the North Pacific Ocean, 105 Nautical Miles West of 150° East Longitude at 36° North Latitude, April 12, 1972
Turbulence injuries, National Airlines, Inc., Boeing 747-135, N77772, Near Lake Charles, Louisiana, January 4, 1972
Turbulence injuries, Air France, Boeing 707-B-328B, F-BLCA, Near O-Neill, Nebraska, May 13, 1974
Turbulence injuries, Air Canada Flight 965, Lockheed L-1011, C-FTNJ, Near Charleston, South Carolina, November 24, 1983
Turbulence injury, Boeing 757-232, September 15, 1993
Turbulence injury, Boeing 747-400, February 12, 1994
Turbulence on descent involving a Boeing 737-790, near Anchroage, Alaska, on November 13, 2000
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 737-400, December 22, 1996
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 727-200, July 28, 2000
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 737-200, April 17, 2001
Turbulence injury, Boeing 757-200, May 29, 2002
Turbulence injury, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, November 6, 2002
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 727-200, March 16, 1995
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 737-200, April 28, 1997
Turbulence injuries, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-80, February 8, 1999
Turbulence injury, Boeing 777-223, August 22, 2000
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 757-200, April 18, 2002
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 757-222, April 21, 2003
Turbulence injury, Airbus A319-111, June 2, 2003
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 777-222, June 11, 1999
Turbulence injuries, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-81, August 7, 2003
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 737-201, June 22, 1996
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 767-222, June 20, 1995
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 757, August 4, 1995
Turbulence injury, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51, January 28, 1997
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 747-422, September 14, 1997
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 767-223, July 22, 1998
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 737-222, May 5, 1999
Turbulence injuries, McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30, March 22, 2002
Turbulence injury, Boeing 757-2B7, May 24, 1998
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-3H4, June 25, 1999
Turbulence injury, Boeing 757-223, April 7, 1996
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 737-824, July 8, 1999
Turbulence injury, Boeing 757-2G7, January 11, 2000
Turbulence Injury, Boeing 757-2G7, April 2, 2000
Turbulence injury, Airbus A320-232, April 19, 2001
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-500, August 9, 2001
Turbulence injury, Boeing 747-422, May 1, 2002
Turbulence injury, McDonnell Douglas MD-82, June 12, 2003
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 747-422, October 17, 1995
Turbulence injury, Boeing 747-122, November 1, 1995
Turbulence injury, Boeing 747-422, November 19, 1996
Turbulence injury, December 22, 1996
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 737-242C, March 4, 1998
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-300, December 13, 1998
Turbulence on descent, Airbus A320-231, September 16, 1999
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 767-332ER, September 20, 2000
Turbulence injury, Boeing 757-2G7, May 28, 2001
Turbulence injury, Airbus A320-232, August 20, 2001
Turbulence on descent, Boeing 777-223, February 25, 2003
Turbulence injury, McDonnell Douglas MD-88, Janaury 6, 1995
Turbulence injury, McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82, October 1, 1997
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-724, February 19, 2002
Turbulence injury, Boeing 767-300, May 7, 2003
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-800, August 16, 2003
Turbulence injury, Airbus A300B4-605R, January 7, 1997
Turbulence injury, Boeing 747-200, April 18, 1998
Turbulence injury, Bombardier DHC-8-102, September 27, 1998
Turbulence injury, September 30, 1999
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 767-332ER, November 4, 2000
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-522, November 25, 1995
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-2H4, July 7, 1994
Turbulence injury, Boeing 737-291A, June 11, 1997
Tubulence, December 28, 1997, Boeing 747-122, December 28, 1997
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 777-236, G-VIIP, May 14, 2006
Turbulence injuries, Airbus A340-300, D-AIGK, September 18, 1996
Turbulence injuries, Boeing 757-2Q8, N755AT, March 2, 1997
Turbulence injuries, Airbus A340-300, D-AIGK, August 6, 2003

 




Accident Reports on DVD, Copyright © 2006 by Flight Simulation Systems, LLC.  All Rights Reserved.
 All referenced trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
www.fss.aero