- Date
- February 19, 2013, 16:05 local (21:05 UTC)
- Place
- Hebron, KY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 53 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Prior to flight
- Aircraft
- N283SKEmbraer EMB-145LR
- Defining event
- Prior to flight: Cabin safety event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 3, 2013
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- FAA report
- 20130219001909A
- Case key
- 86261
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 fall out of the open service door because the safety strap was not attached.
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
On February 19, 2013 at 3:20 pm eastern standard time, a flight attendant fell from an open service door on an Embraer E145, registration N283SK, at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The airplane was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 by Chautauqua Airlines as flight 6169, with an intended destination of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina. There were no other injuries to the three flight crew and 50 passengers, and no damage to the airplane. The airplane was stationary at the boarding gate and passengers were boarding the aircraft. The CVG weather observation at the time of the event reported wind from 260 degrees at 25 knots, gusting to 35 knots. The flight attendant stated that after opening the door for the galley service crew, a gust of wind blew papers in the galley area and as she attempted to retrieve them, the wind blew her out the door. The safety strap had not been attached at the time of the event. The flight attendant experienced a serious injury to her vertebrae.
Factual narrative
On February 19, 2013 at 3:20 pm eastern standard time, a flight attendant fell from an open service door on an Embraer E145, registration N283SK, at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG). The airplane was operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 by Chautauqua Airlines as flight 6169, with an intended destination of Raleigh-Durham International Airport, North Carolina. There were no other injuries to the three flight crew and 50 passengers, and no damage to the airplane. The airplane was stationary at the boarding gate and passengers were boarding the aircraft. The CVG weather observation at the time of the event reported wind from 260 degrees at 25 knots, gusting to 35 knots. The flight attendant stated that after opening the door for the galley service crew, a gust of wind blew papers in the galley area and as she attempted to retrieve them, the wind blew her out the door. The safety strap had not been attached at the time of the event. The flight attendant experienced a serious injury to her vertebrae.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N283SK
- Reported as
- Embraer EMB-145LR
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 145424
- Engine
- Rolls Royce A3007, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Chautauqua Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- Chautauqua Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- KCVG · Cincinnati, OH
- Destination
- KRDU · Raleigh-Durham, NC
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KCVG · Cincinnati-Northern Kentucky
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
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 218 in this make and model · 4,490 as pilot in command
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 29
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 5,000 total · 228 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 3,200 ft broken
- Temperature
- 32 °F, dew point 19 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.81 inHg
- Observed at
- CVG
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 3, 2013, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 3.3 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.