- Date
- June 27, 2019, 15:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Janesville, WI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N318RWCessna 560
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 3
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA FSDO
- FAA report
- 20190627008219A
- Case key
- 99726
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The passenger’s decision to unbuckle her restraints during an in-flight turbulence event, resulting in serious injury.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot had anticipated some turbulence along the route of flight, briefed his three passengers, and turned on the seat belt sign. At flight level (FL) 240, the flight encountered turbulence, and the pilot requested clearance to deviate from air traffic control (ATC), which ATC provided. Using on-board weather radar, the pilot determined that he needed a greater deviation and made several urgent requests for a clearance to deviate. ATC was not able to approve the deviation but instructed the pilot to descend from FL 240 to FL 200. During the descent, the airplane encountered the first of four 15- to 20-second severe turbulence events, with a 5- to 10-second interval between events. During the events, the pilot made several urgent requests for a deviation, but ATC was not able to approve the requests. As far as the pilot was aware, all the passengers were in their seats with seat restraints on during the turbulent portion of the flight. One of the passengers was an elderly man, and one passenger was his caregiver. The caregiver reported that she had gotten out of her seat to assist the elderly man in adjusting his restraints more firmly. During the time she had gotten up to assist, she was thrown about the cabin during the turbulence. The pilot landed the airplane as soon as possible, and the caregiver was treated at a local hospital for bone fractures to her right arm.
Factual narrative
On June 27, 2019, about 1500 central daylight time, a Cessna 525, N318RW, sustained minor damage when it was involved in an accident near Janesville, Wisconsin. One passenger sustained serious injuries, the pilot sustained minor injuries, and two passengers were not injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 business flight. The pilot had anticipated some turbulence along the route of flight, briefed the three passengers, and had the seat belt sign turned on. At flight level (FL) 240, due to turbulence, the pilot requested a deviation from air traffic control (ATC) on the south side of a squall line, which ATC provided. Using on-board weather radar, the pilot determined that he needed a greater deviation to the south and made several urgent requests for a clearance to deviate. ATC was not able to approve the deviation requests. ATC instructed the pilot to descend to from FL 240 to FL 200. During the descent, the airplane encountered the first of four 15- to 20-second severe turbulence events, with a 5- to 10-second interval between events. During the events, the pilot made several urgent requests for a deviation, but ATC was not able to approve the requests. As far as the pilot was aware, all the passengers were in their seats with seat restraints on during the turbulent portion of the flight. One of the passengers was an elderly man, and one was his caregiver. The caregiver reported that she had gotten out of her seat to assist the elderly man to adjust his restraints more firmly. During the time she had gotten up to assist, she was thrown about the cabin during the turbulence. The pilot landed the airplane as soon as possible in Madison, Wisconsin, and the caregiver was treated at a local hospital for bone fractures to her right arm.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N318RW
- Reported as
- Cessna 560 (Undesignat)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 560-0051
- Built
- 1990
- Airframe hours
- 8,957.5
- Engines
- Pratt & Whitney JTD15-5A, 2,900 lbs thrust, turbo jetPratt & Whitney JTD15-5A, 2,900 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Business · Part 91
- Operator
- Mueller Aero Inc
- Registered owner
- Mueller Aero Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 30, 2018
- Departed
- LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Destination
- 91C · Prairie du Sac, WI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Angle of attack indicator, Electronic multifunction display, Data recorder, Auto-pilot
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 2, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 10, 2018
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 11,663 total · 1,292 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Turbulence
- Severe
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 30, 2021, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.