- Date
- May 2, 2017, 19:30 local (23:30 UTC)
- Place
- Boston, MA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 154 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N595JBAirbus A320 232
- Defining event
- Enroute-climb to cruise: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed · report March 9, 2018
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- FAA report
- 20170502011029A
- Case key
- 95132
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 May 2, 2017 at 7:30pm eastern daylight time, JetBlue flight 1317, an Airbus A320, N595JB, encountered turbulence resulting in a serious injury to a flight attendant. The flight was a regularly scheduled flight from Boston Logan Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts, to the John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, New York. There were no other injuries, and no damage to the airplane. According to the flight attendant statements, the #3 flight attendant (FA) stated that because the ride was "slightly bumpy," she remained seated for an additional 5 to 10 minutes after the cabin received the double chime indicating that the flight had passed 10,000 feet. Once it seemed to have smoothed out, she stood up and began to prepare for cabin service. Shortly after standing up, the airplane shook violently and she was tossed off her feet and into the air and landed on her right ankle, ending up on the galley floor. According to the flight crew statements, they had just completed a flight into BOS on a different airplane with nothing more than light turbulence on descent. Prior to the accident flight, the captain briefed the #1 FA that they had just flown in and didn't expect anything worse than light turbulence during climb out. During climb out, the flight crew indicted they were in and out of the clouds and only experience light chop. The weather radar was on but "was not painting anything." Just prior to leveling off at 14,000 feet they encountered a strong jolt of turbulence and then received a call from the cabin about the #3 flight attendant injury. At the time of the turbulence, the fasten seatbelt sign was illuminated. The injured FA was assisted into a rear customer seat for the remainder of the flight with her foot elevated and ice applied. Because the injured FA was incapacitated, the #2 FA crewed the #3 FA position and a nonrevenue FA crewed the #2 FA position. The flight was met by emergency medical personnel and the FA was transported to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken right ankle.
Factual narrative
On May 2, 2017 at 7:30pm eastern daylight time, JetBlue flight 1317, an Airbus A320, N595JB, encountered turbulence resulting in a serious injury to a flight attendant. The flight was a regularly scheduled flight from Boston Logan Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts, to the John F Kennedy International Airport (JFK), New York, New York. There were no other injuries, and no damage to the airplane. According to the flight attendant statements, the #3 flight attendant (FA) stated that because the ride was "slightly bumpy," she remained seated for an additional 5 to 10 minutes after the cabin received the double chime indicating that the flight had passed 10,000 feet. Once it seemed to have smoothed out, she stood up and began to prepare for cabin service. Shortly after standing up, the airplane shook violently and she was tossed off her feet and into the air and landed on her right ankle, ending up on the galley floor. According to the flight crew statements, they had just completed a flight into BOS on a different airplane with nothing more than light turbulence on descent. Prior to the accident flight, the captain briefed the #1 FA that they had just flown in and didn't expect anything worse than light turbulence during climb out. During climb out, the flight crew indicted they were in and out of the clouds and only experience light chop. The weather radar was on but "was not painting anything." Just prior to leveling off at 14,000 feet they encountered a strong jolt of turbulence and then received a call from the cabin about the #3 flight attendant injury. At the time of the turbulence, the fasten seatbelt sign was illuminated. The injured FA was assisted into a rear customer seat for the remainder of the flight with her foot elevated and ice applied. Because the injured FA was incapacitated, the #2 FA crewed the #3 FA position and a nonrevenue FA crewed the #2 FA position. The flight was met by emergency medical personnel and the FA was transported to a local hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken right ankle.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N595JB
- Reported as
- Airbus A320 232 (232)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 2286
- Built
- 2004
- Airframe hours
- 50,634
- Engines
- IAE V2500SERIES, 9,895 horsepower, turbo fanIAE V2500SERIES, 9,895 horsepower, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- jetBlue Airways
- Registered owner
- Jetblue Airways Corp
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- BOS · Boston, MA
- Destination
- JFK · Queens, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 27, 2016
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 6,600 in this make and model · 7,400 as pilot in command · 232 in the last 90 days · 76 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 27, 2016
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 13,478 total · 8,962 in this make and model · 2,668 as pilot in command · 173 in the last 90 days · 61 in the last 30 days · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Turbulence
- Moderate
Docket · 5
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 9, 2018, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 1.3 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.