20020321024399A

Accident

FAA accident report · Doug DC1030 · Amsterdam, NL · March 21, 2002

Date
March 21, 2002 · 04:40 local
Place
Amsterdam, NL
Airport
Schiphol Airport
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
NWAA
Aircraft
N234NW
Reported as
Doug DC1030
Fatal injuries
0

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.

(-23) On March 21, 2002 about 0440Z, northwest airlines flight 58 from miami, FL to Amsterdam, netherlands a mcdonnell-douglas DC 10-30, N234NW encountered severe clear air turbulence associated with an upper front. 4 passengers suffered minor injuries, one flight attendant was seriously injured with 2 broken vertebra and 3 broken ribs. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the encounter. The flight was filed on an IFR flight plan on a track through nat mnps airspace one degree north of the east bound northern most track sierra. The aircraft encountered light turbulence at 32.00.0 longitude, shortly after this they attempted 2 times to get a clearance for a lower altitude from shanwick control as the turbulence increased. The crew then demanded lower or they would be declaring an emergency and depart the track. Shanwick gave a clearance for FL340, as the crew descended the aircraft encountered severe turbulance at FL345 with the nose up pitch of 15 degrees. The aircraft was pitched nose down and the crew flew out of the turbulence and leveled at FL340. A flight attend. In seat 4R was ejected out of her seat and sustained serious injury. Fa seat belt testing by NTSB.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON MARCH 21, 2002 ABOUT 0440Z, NORTHWEST AIRLINES FLIGHT 58 FROM MIAMI, FL TO AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS A MCDONNELL-DOUGLAS DC 10-30, N234NW ENCOUNTERED SEVERE CLEAR AIR TURBULENCE ASSOCIATED WITH AN UPPER FRONT. 4 PASSENGERS SUFFERED MINOR INJURIES, ONE FLIGHT ATTENDANT WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED WITH 2 BROKEN VERTEBRA AND 3 BROKEN RIBS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AT THE TIME OF THE ENCOUNTER. THE FLIGHT WAS FILED ON AN IFR FLIGHT PLAN ON A TRACK THROUGH NAT MNPS AIRSPACE ONE DEGREE NORTH OF THE EAST BOUND NORTHERN MOST TRACK SIERRA. THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED LIGHT TURBULENCE AT 32.00.0 LONGITUDE, SHORTLY AFTER THIS THEY ATTEMPTED 2 TIMES TO GET A CLEARANCE FOR A LOWER ALTITUDE FROM SHANWICK CONTROL AS THE TURBULENCE INCREASED. THE CREW THEN DEMANDED LOWER OR THEY WOULD BE DECLARING AN EMERGENCY AND DEPART THE TRACK. SHANWICK GAVE A CLEARANCE FOR FL340, AS THE CREW DESCENDED THE AIRCRAFT ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULANCE AT FL345 WITH THE NOSE UP PITCH OF 15 DEGREES. THE AIRCRAFT WAS PITCHED NOSE DOWN AND THE CREW FLEW OUT OF THE TURBULENCE AND LEVELED AT FL340. A FLIGHT ATTEND. IN SEAT 4R WAS EJECTED OUT OF HER SEAT AND SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURY. FA SEAT BELT TESTING BY NTSB.