- Date
- July 27, 2009, 16:30 local (20:30 UTC)
- Place
- Norfolk, VA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 85 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N135HQEmbraer EMB170
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 10, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- Republic Airlines Inc., FAA Indianapolis FSDO
- FAA report
- 20090727054079A
- Case key
- 74388
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
an inadvertent encounter with convective turbulence that resulted in serious injuries to a flight attendant.
Findings · 1
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 captain stated that while climbing through about FL220, the flight encountered turbulence while deviating around a convective cell. According to the flight attendant (FA), the turbulence occurred after the captain had "turned off the sterile cockpit" and she was preparing the beverage service with the lead FA. Both FAs were thrown to the floor with one FA falling on top of the other. As a result, one FA suffered a broken bone in her left foot and the other received minor injuries. The operator stated that the seat belt was illuminated at the time of the turbulence.
Factual narrative
On July 27, 2009, about 1630 eastern daylight time, Republic Airlines flight 3199, an EMB-175, N135HQ, encountered turbulence while climbing to cruise altitude after departing Norfolk International Airport (ORF), Norfolk, Virginia. Of the four crew members and 83 passengers onboard, one flight attendant received serious injuries and the airplane was not damaged. The 14 CFR part 121 domestic passenger flight continued uneventfully to its intended destination of Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Charlotte, North Carolina.According to the Captain, the flight departed normally from runway 23 but there were numerous thunderstorms and rain showers in the area. He said they were deviating around a cell as they were approaching FL220 when, the flight encountered moderate turbulence. According to flight attendant (FA) statements, two FAs were in the aft galley preparing beverage service when the turbulence occurred. Both FAs were lifted into the air and then thrown to the floor with one FA landing on top of the other. One FA injured her left ankle and was assisted to a passenger seat and provided ice and the other FA received minor injuries. The Director of Safety for Republic Airlines reported in NTSB Form 6120 that the seat belt had been illuminated at the time of the turbulence. Upon landing, emergency medical technicians met the flight and the FA was taken to a hospital where x-rays revealed that she had a broken bone in her left foot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N135HQ
- Reported as
- Embraer EMB170
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 17000224
- Airframe hours
- 3,111
- Engines
- General Electric CF34-8E5, turbo fanGeneral Electric CF34-8E5, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Republic Airlines Inc.,
- Registered owner
- Republic Airlines Inc.,
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 27, 2009
- Departed
- ORF · Norfolk, VA
- Destination
- CLT · Charlotte, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 8, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 6,110 total · 3,968 in this make and model · 3,060 as pilot in command · 251 in the last 90 days · 92 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Last flight review
- June 15, 2009
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 3,874 total · 88 in this make and model · 1,292 as pilot in command · 84 in the last 90 days · 67 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Observed at
- KORF
Docket · 6
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 29, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 6.6 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.