- Date
- November 7, 2015, 05:00 local (11:00 UTC)
- Place
- Beaumont, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 221 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N27958Boeing 787
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report August 24, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- FAA report
- 20151107018829A
- Case key
- 92303
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 resulting in serious injury 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
According to crew statements, the flight encountered light turbulence while deviating around areas of weather depicted on the onboard weather radar during descent from FL350 to 12,000 feet. Air Traffic Control (ATC) had also advised them of areas of precipitation shown on ATC radar. The seatbelt sign was turned on and the flight crew advised the cabin crew to complete service and be seated for arrival. The flight was returning on course after it appeared they were clear of significant weather when they encountered an area of moderate turbulence and briefly encountered what the crew characterized as severe turbulence. A flight attendant (FA) in the aft galley was lifted into the air and fell back down to the floor injuring her ankle. The flight crew was notified of the injury and they requested paramedics meet the airplane upon arrival. The FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured ankle.
Factual narrative
According to crew statements, the flight encountered light turbulence while deviating around areas of weather depicted on the onboard weather radar during descent from FL350 to 12,000 feet. Air Traffic Control (ATC) had also advised them of areas of precipitation shown on ATC radar. The seatbelt sign was turned on and the flight crew advised the cabin crew to complete service and be seated for arrival. The flight was returning on course after it appeared they were clear of significant weather when they encountered an area of moderate turbulence and briefly encountered what the crew characterized as severe turbulence. A flight attendant (FA) in the aft galley was lifted into the air and fell back down to the floor injuring her ankle. The flight crew was notified of the injury and they requested paramedics meet the airplane upon arrival. The FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured ankle.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N27958
- Reported as
- Boeing 787
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 36406
- Built
- 2015
- Engines
- GE GENX-1B74/75, turbo fanGE GENX-1B74/75, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Air Lines Inc
- Registered owner
- United Air Lines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- SBGL · Rio De Janeiro
- Destination
- KIAH · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Unknown
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 64
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 24, 2015
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 10,900 total · 360 in this make and model · 119 in the last 90 days · 87 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 50
- 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
- August 15, 2015
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 11,400 total · 1,000 in this make and model · 233 in the last 90 days · 72 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Other flight crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 12,000 total
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Night
- Wind
- 360° at 6 knots
- Visibility
- 1.5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 300 ft broken
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.95 inHg
- Turbulence
- Unknown
- Observed at
- KBPT, 6 nm away
Docket · 7
The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 29, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 81.8 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.
Other investigations on N27958 · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.