# NTSB ANC01LA018: Boeing 737-790, N611AS, Anchorage, AK, November 13, 2000 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: November 13, 2000, 12:12 local (16:12 UTC) - Place: Anchorage, AK - Coordinates: 61.109683, -149.900314 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=61.1097&lon=-149.9003&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 99 uninjured - Status: Completed, report July 10, 2001 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Alaska Regional Office - NTSB case key (mKey): 51021 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=ANC01LA018 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/51021/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC01LA018 ## Probable cause An in-flight encounter with clear air turbulence. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, descent - normal - weather condition - turbulence,clear air (cause) ## Analysis The captain of a Boeing 737-700 reported that prior to starting a descent, he received reports of moderate turbulence in the area of the arrival airport. He said that he instructed the cabin attendants to secure the cabin early in anticipation of turbulence during the approach. The injured flight attendant related that before the flight crew initiated the descent, the attendants were asked to ready the cabin early in anticipation of turbulence. She said that as she walked to the back of the airplane, and just before she was to be seated, she noticed that a few remaining service carts located in the aft galley were not locked down. She stated that as she locked down one of the last remaining service carts, 'the floor just fell out from under my feet, my head hit the ceiling, and I landed back on the floor, on my right leg.' The flight attendant sustained a broken right ankle. ## Factual narrative On November 13, 2000, about 1212 Alaska standard time, a Boeing 737-790 airplane, N611AS, encountered moderate turbulence during initial approach to the Ted Stevens International Airport, Anchorage, Alaska. The flight was conducted under Title 14, CFR Part 121, as a scheduled domestic passenger flight, operated by Alaska Airlines, Inc., as Flight 135. There were no injuries to the two pilots, 95 passengers, or two of the three flight attendants aboard. The remaining flight attendant sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight plan had been filed for the flight from Chicago, Illinois. During a telephone conversation with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on November 14, the captain reported that prior to starting the descent, he received reports of moderate turbulence in the area of the Ted Stevens International Airport. He said that he instructed the cabin attendants to secure the cabin early in anticipation of turbulence during the approach. While descending through 13,000 feet the captain made an announcement over the airplane's public address system, stating "Flight attendants, if you have not already done so, please be seated now." The captain said that in the process of making the announcement, he emphasized the term now. During the initial descent the captain characterized the turbulence as "basically smooth" until reaching about 11,000 feet. He added that as he turned the aircraft to an assigned heading of 240 degrees, and while descending through 11,000 feet, the airplane experienced a substantial vertical drop. The captain said that during the rest of the descent, the turbulence continued to be moderate until descending through 4,000 feet, where it dissipated. The flight continued to the Ted Stevens International Airport, and landed without further incident. He added that he was unaware that anyone had been injured until after landing, when one of the other flight attendants informed him of the aft flight attendant's injuries. During an interview with the National Transportation Safety Board investigator-in-charge on November 16, the injured flight attendant related that before the flight crew initiated the descent, the attendants were asked to ready the cabin early in anticipation of turbulence. She said that after storing all of the service equipment, the captain made the announcement over the public address system, reminding the flight attendants be seated, "now." She said that as she walked to the back of the airplane, and just before she was to be seated, she noticed that a few remaining service carts located in the aft galley were not locked down. She stated that as she locked down one of the last remaining service carts, "the floor just fell out from under my feet, my head hit the ceiling, and I landed back on the floor, on my right leg." The flight attendant sustained a broken right ankle. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N611AS](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N611AS), registered now, S/N 29753, built 1999 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Boeing 737-790 - Registry model: [Boeing 737-790](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-790) (registry code 13844CN) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [CFM International CFM56 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-series) (registry code 13802, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 29753 - Engines: Cfm 56 SERIES 22000 lbs thrust turbo fan - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Registered owner: Alaska Air Group - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Normal - Departed: ORD, CHICAGO, IL - Destination: ANC, ANCHORAGE, AK - Flight plan: IFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 50; airline transport, flight engineer; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, unknown; seat: left; flight hours: 13,059 total, 6 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 340° at 7 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 14,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 28 °F, dew point 25 °F - Altimeter: 29.00 inHg ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20001113041889A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20001113041889A), Nov 13, 2000: Boeing 737790, Anchorage, AK. (-23) Asaa flt 135 was on descent to the anc int'l airport. The capt notified the cabin crew to pick up the service items early and buckle up on descent as… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.