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19960413024519I

Incident
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FAA incident report · Aircraft · Atlanta, GA · April 13, 1996

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
April 13, 1996 · 21:21 local
Place
Atlanta, GA
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
DALA
Aircraft
UR059
People aboard
100
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
9,500 total606 in this make and model164 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: delta flight 791, under the command of captain al knoepfel, departed Atlanta hartsfield airport enroute to gainesville, Florida on April 13, 1996. Flight 791, being flown by first officer r.a. heminger, had been vectored south of the airport and was deviating due to weather while climbing to a cruise altitude. Proceeding dal 791; an ase flight 11, had been given by air traffic control an altitude of seventeen thousand feet. This resulted in dal 791 being restricted to sixteen thousand feet. It was during this phase of flight that dal 791 encountered the turbulence that caused the injury of two flight attendants. These injuries were administered to by two physicians that were onboard. While minor in nature for one flight attendant, the other attendant required time off from duty. However, neither flight attendant received any sustaining injuries. Captain knoepfel, stated in his report, that the flight conditions after departing Atlanta were, scattered clouds with no moon. The radar had been turned on and was indicating several strong cells fifty miles west of their intended flight path. After leveling off at sixteen thousand feet, the aircraft experienced the fifteen to twenty seconds of turbulence. Captain knoepfel's decision at this time was to declare an emergency and returned to the Atlanta hartsfield airport. The actions taken by the crew of flight 791 was appropriate under the circumstances. privacy data omitted

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: DELTA FLIGHT 791, UNDER THE COMMAND OF CAPTAIN AL KNOEPFEL, DEPARTED ATLANTA HARTSFIELD AIRPORT ENROUTE TO GAINESVILLE, FLORIDA ON APRIL 13, 1996. FLIGHT 791, BEING FLOWN BY FIRST OFFICER R.A. HEMINGER, HAD BEEN VECTORED SOUTH OF THE AIRPORT AND WAS DEVIATING DUE TO WEATHER WHILE CLIMBING TO A CRUISE ALTITUDE. PROCEEDING DAL 791; AN ASE FLIGHT 11, HAD BEEN GIVEN BY AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL AN ALTITUDE OF SEVENTEEN THOUSAND FEET. THIS RESULTED IN DAL 791 BEING RESTRICTED TO SIXTEEN THOUSAND FEET. IT WAS DURING THIS PHASE OF FLIGHT THAT DAL 791 ENCOUNTERED THE TURBULENCE THAT CAUSED THE INJURY OF TWO FLIGHT ATTENDANTS. THESE INJURIES WERE ADMINISTERED TO BY TWO PHYSICIANS THAT WERE ONBOARD. WHILE MINOR IN NATURE FOR ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT, THE OTHER ATTENDANT REQUIRED TIME OFF FROM DUTY. HOWEVER, NEITHER FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECEIVED ANY SUSTAINING INJURIES. CAPTAIN KNOEPFEL, STATED IN HIS REPORT, THAT THE FLIGHT CONDITIONS AFTER DEPARTING ATLANTA WERE, SCATTERED CLOUDS WITH NO MOON. THE RADAR HAD BEEN TURNED ON AND WAS INDICATING SEVERAL STRONG CELLS FIFTY MILES WEST OF THEIR INTENDED FLIGHT PATH. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT SIXTEEN THOUSAND FEET, THE AIRCRAFT EXPERIENCED THE FIFTEEN TO TWENTY SECONDS OF TURBULENCE. CAPTAIN KNOEPFEL'S DECISION AT THIS TIME WAS TO DECLARE AN EMERGENCY AND RETURNED TO THE ATLANTA HARTSFIELD AIRPORT. THE ACTIONS TAKEN BY THE CREW OF FLIGHT 791 WAS APPROPRIATE UNDER THE CIRCUMSTANCES. ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^