- Date
- June 10, 2012, 23:20 local (Jun 11, 2012, 04:20 UTC)
- Place
- Minneapolis, MN
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 149 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N352NWAirbus Industrie A320-212
- Defining event
- Approach: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report September 1, 2015
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- Federal Aviation Administration
- FAA report
- 20120610012989A
- Case key
- 83927
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
Inadvertent encounter with convective turbulence while in descent.
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
After receiving a forecast of turbulence from air traffic control (ATC), the flight crew briefed the flight attendants, informed the passengers via the public address system, and the seatbelt sign was illuminated. During descent for landing, the airplane encountered turbulence as the flight crew was maneuvering to avoid weather and radar returns. During the event, a flight attendant standing in the aft galley sustained a serious injury to his right ankle when he was lifted and dropped back to the floor. The remaining 149 passengers and crewmembers onboard were not injured. The flight crew declared an emergency and the airplane landed without further incident.
Factual narrative
After receiving a forecast of turbulence from air traffic control (ATC), the flight crew briefed the flight attendants, informed the passengers via the public address system, and the seatbelt sign was illuminated. During descent for landing, the airplane encountered turbulence as the flight crew was maneuvering to avoid weather and radar returns. During the event, a flight attendant standing in the aft galley sustained a serious injury to his right ankle when he was lifted and dropped back to the floor. The remaining 149 passengers and crewmembers onboard were not injured. The flight crew declared an emergency and the airplane landed without further incident.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N352NW
- Reported as
- Airbus Industrie A320-212
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 778
- Engines
- CFM Intl. CFM56 SERIES, 2,200 horsepower, turbo fanCFM Intl. CFM56 SERIES, 2,200 horsepower, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Registered owner
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- MSN · Madison, WI
- Destination
- MSP · Minneapolis, MN
- 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
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- April 12, 2012
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,406 total · 3,321 in this make and model · 52 in the last 90 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 51
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- January 22, 2012
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 2,972 total · 701 in this make and model · 179 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- 290° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 3 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 11,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 64 °F, dew point 63 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.76 inHg
Docket · 1
The files NTSB released with the investigation on September 14, 2015, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 161 KB 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.