- Date
- June 7, 2012, 12:16 local (16:16 UTC)
- Place
- Philadelphia, PA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 184 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N936UWBoeing 757 2B7
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- FAA report
- 20120607010549A
- Case key
- 83891
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.
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
On June 7, 2012, at approximately 1600 coordinated universal time, US Airways flight 1078, a Boeing 757-200, N936UW, encountered turbulence during descent into Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One flight attendant in the aft galley suffered a broken ankle and two other flight attendants suffered minor injuries. The other five crewmembers and 178 passengers were not injured and the airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (LRSM), San Juan, Puerto Rico, to KPHL. According to the operator, the flight crew weather briefing indicated no turbulence forecast for the route of flight. The departure, cruise, and initial descent portions of the flight were uneventful. The captain reportedly turned on the seatbelt sign when the flight was passing through flight level 180. About 50 miles outside of KPHL, the flight crew identified a small band of cumulus clouds between 13,000 feet and 9,000 feet. The captain made a public-address announcement to the passengers reminding them to have their seatbelts fastened and alerted them to the possibility of some minor turbulence as they passed through the clouds. Prior to descending through 10,000 feet, the flight encountered moderate turbulence for approximately 3-5 seconds. There were no pilot reports or advisories from air traffic control about turbulence in the area. When the turbulence was encountered, the D flight attendant (FA) was in the aft galley performing final landing preparations and was lifted into the air and thrown the floor near the last row of passenger seats. She was assisted by other FA's but remained on the floor for the remainder of the flight due to her injured leg. Paramedics met the airplane at the gate and transported the flight attendant to the hospital where she was diagnosed with fractures to her tibia and fibula.
Factual narrative
On June 7, 2012, at approximately 1600 coordinated universal time, US Airways flight 1078, a Boeing 757-200, N936UW, encountered turbulence during descent into Philadelphia International Airport (KPHL), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. One flight attendant in the aft galley suffered a broken ankle and two other flight attendants suffered minor injuries. The other five crewmembers and 178 passengers were not injured and the airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (LRSM), San Juan, Puerto Rico, to KPHL. According to the operator, the flight crew weather briefing indicated no turbulence forecast for the route of flight. The departure, cruise, and initial descent portions of the flight were uneventful. The captain reportedly turned on the seatbelt sign when the flight was passing through flight level 180. About 50 miles outside of KPHL, the flight crew identified a small band of cumulus clouds between 13,000 feet and 9,000 feet. The captain made a public-address announcement to the passengers reminding them to have their seatbelts fastened and alerted them to the possibility of some minor turbulence as they passed through the clouds. Prior to descending through 10,000 feet, the flight encountered moderate turbulence for approximately 3-5 seconds. There were no pilot reports or advisories from air traffic control about turbulence in the area. When the turbulence was encountered, the D flight attendant (FA) was in the aft galley performing final landing preparations and was lifted into the air and thrown the floor near the last row of passenger seats. She was assisted by other FA's but remained on the floor for the remainder of the flight due to her injured leg. Paramedics met the airplane at the gate and transported the flight attendant to the hospital where she was diagnosed with fractures to her tibia and fibula.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N936UW
- Reported as
- Boeing 757 2B7 (2B7)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 27244
- Built
- 1994
- Airframe hours
- 59,240
- Engines
- Rolls-Royc RB.211 SERIES, 40,100 lbs thrust, turbo fanRolls-Royc RB.211 SERIES, 40,100 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Registered owner
- Wells Fargo Bank Northwest Na Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 6, 2012
- Departed
- SJU · San Juan, PR
- Destination
- KPHL · Philadelphia, PA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PHL · Philadelphia Intl
- Equipment
- Stall warning system, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Data recorder
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
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 14, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 22,973 total · 886 in this make and model · 5,864 as pilot in command · 195 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 16, 2011
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 19,770 total · 5,870 in this make and model · 5,643 as pilot in command · 245 in the last 90 days · 92 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 15 knots
- Lowest ceiling
- 13,000 ft
- Turbulence
- Moderate
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 12, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 12.9 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.