What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Encountered hail climbout thru FL200 between 2 thunderstorms. Shattered windshields. Airspeed quit. Radome gone. (-23) air tran flight 426 flew between two level six thunderstorms. Severe turbulence and hail were encountered which resulted in serious injury to a flight attendant and extensive damage to the aircraft. (.19) on may 7, 1998, about 1920 eastern daylight time, a Douglas DC-9-32, N948VV, registered to and operated by airtran airlines, inc., as flight 426, title 14 CFR part 121 scheduled domestic passenger service from atlanta, Georgia, to chicago Illinois, encountered turbulence and hail near calhoun, Georgia, while climbing through 20,000 feet, after departure from atlanta. Instrument meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed. The aircraft received substantial damage. One flight attendant received serious injuries, and one passenger received minor injuries. The airline transport-rated captain, first officer, 2 flight attendants, 1 jumpseat rider, and 80 passengers were not injured. The flight originated from atlanta, Georgia, the same day, about 1905. The flightcrew stated that while at a position about 50 miles north of atlanta, they asked for and received permission from the FAA air traffic controller to fly a heading of 330 degrees to go around weather. This would take them between two weather returns and also allow them to follow another aircraft ahead of them. They had not given the flight attendants permission to leave their seats, and the captain again called them and asked them to remain seated. While climbing through 20,000 feet, they encountered severe hail which lasted about 5 seconds, and moderate turbulence which lasted about 30 seconds. The three front windshields shattered and the radome separated from the aircraft. The captain's and first officer's airspeed indicators became inoperative and it became very noisy in the cockpit. They declared an emergency with the FAA air traffic controller and asked for directions to the nearest airport. An approach to landing was made to Lovell Field, Chattanooga, Tennessee, with FAA air traffic controllers reporting the aircraft's ground speed about every 10-15 seconds. A landing was made at 1940, and after inspection of the aircraft by fire department personnel, the aircraft was taxied to a gate. Postlanding examination of the aircraft byan NTSB investigator showed the radome had separaed and portions of it had been ingested into the right engine. The three front windshield outer panes were shattered. The wing leading edge devices, horizontal stabilizer leading edge, vertical stabilizer leading edge, and both left and right engine inlet cowls had sustained impact damage. The left and right engine fans had sustained foreign object damage.
As the FAA filed it
ENCOUNTERED HAIL CLIMBOUT THRU FL200 BETWEEN 2 THUNDERSTORMS. SHATTERED WINDSHIELDS. AIRSPEED QUIT. RADOME GONE. (-23) AIR TRAN FLIGHT 426 FLEW BETWEEN TWO LEVEL SIX THUNDERSTORMS. SEVERE TURBULENCE AND HAIL WERE ENCOUNTERED WHICH RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY TO A FLIGHT ATTENDANT AND EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. (.19) ON MAY 7, 1998, ABOUT 1920 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A DOUGLAS DC-9-32, N948VV, REGISTERED TO AND OPERATED BY AIRTRAN AIRLINES, INC., AS FLIGHT 426, TITLE 14 CFR PART 121 SCHEDULED DOMESTIC PASSENGER SERVICE FROM ATLANTA, GEORGIA, TO CHICAGO ILLINOIS, ENCOUNTERED TURBULENCE AND HAIL NEAR CALHOUN, GEORGIA, WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 20,000 FEET, AFTER DEPARTURE FROM ATLANTA. INSTRUMENT METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME AND AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED. THE AIRCRAFT RECEIVED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT RECEIVED SERIOUS INJURIES, AND ONE PASSENGER RECEIVED MINOR INJURIES. THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT-RATED CAPTAIN, FIRST OFFICER, 2 FLIGHT ATTENDANTS, 1 JUMPSEAT RIDER, AND 80 PASSENGERS WERE NOT INJURED. THE FLIGHT ORIGINATED FROM ATLANTA, GEORGIA, THE SAME DAY, ABOUT 1905. THE FLIGHTCREW STATED THAT WHILE AT A POSITION ABOUT 50 MILES NORTH OF ATLANTA, THEY ASKED FOR AND RECEIVED PERMISSION FROM THE FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER TO FLY A HEADING OF 330 DEGREES TO GO AROUND WEATHER. THIS WOULD TAKE THEM BETWEEN TWO WEATHER RETURNS AND ALSO ALLOW THEM TO FOLLOW ANOTHER AIRCRAFT AHEAD OF THEM. THEY HAD NOT GIVEN THE FLIGHT ATTENDANTS PERMISSION TO LEAVE THEIR SEATS, AND THE CAPTAIN AGAIN CALLED THEM AND ASKED THEM TO REMAIN SEATED. WHILE CLIMBING THROUGH 20,000 FEET, THEY ENCOUNTERED SEVERE HAIL WHICH LASTED ABOUT 5 SECONDS, AND MODERATE TURBULENCE WHICH LASTED ABOUT 30 SECONDS. THE THREE FRONT WINDSHIELDS SHATTERED AND THE RADOME SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE CAPTAIN'S AND FIRST OFFICER'S AIRSPEED INDICATORS BECAME INOPERATIVE AND IT BECAME VERY NOISY IN THE COCKPIT. THEY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY WITH THE FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER AND ASKED FOR DIRECTIONS TO THE NEAREST AIRPORT. AN APPROACH TO LANDING WAS MADE TO LOVELL FIELD, CHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, WITH FAA AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLERS REPORTING THE AIRCRAFT'S GROUND SPEED ABOUT EVERY 10-15 SECONDS. A LANDING WAS MADE AT 1940, AND AFTER INSPECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT BY FIRE DEPARTMENT PERSONNEL, THE AIRCRAFT WAS TAXIED TO A GATE. POSTLANDING EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT BYAN NTSB INVESTIGATOR SHOWED THE RADOME HAD SEPARAED AND PORTIONS OF IT HAD BEEN INGESTED INTO THE RIGHT ENGINE. THE THREE FRONT WINDSHIELD OUTER PANES WERE SHATTERED. THE WING LEADING EDGE DEVICES, HORIZONTAL STABILIZER LEADING EDGE, VERTICAL STABILIZER LEADING EDGE, AND BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT ENGINE INLET COWLS HAD SUSTAINED IMPACT DAMAGE. THE LEFT AND RIGHT ENGINE FANS HAD SUSTAINED FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.