- Date
- December 12, 2015, 11:26 local (14:26 UTC)
- Place
- Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 12 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N784ANBoeing 777 223
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Day
- Status
- Completed · report June 20, 2016
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Case key
- 92563
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 inadvertant 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 December 12, 2015, American Airlines flight 997, a Boeing 777, N784AN, encountered turbulence enroute to Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) during a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas, Texas. The aircraft was approximately 250 NM from EZE and deviating north of the filed routing to avoid a strong convective area near thunderstorms. The flight crew had advised the flight attendants (FA) that the flight could encounter turbulence in approximately 15 minutes and they should be seated. The fasten seatbelt sign was on. While two FA's were securing the galley, the flight encountered the region of strong/severe turbulence earlier than expected. One FA was thrown to the floor and fell resulting in a broken arm. There were no passenger injuries and no damage to the airplane. The JIAIAC of Argentina delegated the investigation to the NTSB, who accepted the delegation.
Factual narrative
On December 12, 2015, American Airlines flight 997, a Boeing 777, N784AN, encountered turbulence enroute to Ministro Pistarini International Airport, Buenos Aires, Argentina (EZE) during a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Dallas, Texas. The aircraft was approximately 250 NM from EZE and deviating north of the filed routing to avoid a strong convective area near thunderstorms. The flight crew had advised the flight attendants (FA) that the flight could encounter turbulence in approximately 15 minutes and they should be seated. The fasten seatbelt sign was on. While two FA's were securing the galley, the flight encountered the region of strong/severe turbulence earlier than expected. One FA was thrown to the floor and fell resulting in a broken arm. There were no passenger injuries and no damage to the airplane. The JIAIAC of Argentina delegated the investigation to the NTSB, who accepted the delegation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N784AN
- Reported as
- Boeing 777 223 (223)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 29588
- Built
- 2000
- Engines
- Rolls-Royc RB.211 SERIESRolls-Royc RB.211 SERIES
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- Wells Fargo Bank Northwest Na Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- DFW · Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- SAEZ · Buenos Aires
- 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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 18,876 total · 2,912 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 8,484 total · 380 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Day
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 21, 2016, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.5 MB in all.