# NTSB DCA18CA289: Boeing 737, N950NN, Phoenix, AZ, September 11, 2018 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: September 10, 2018, 21:00 local (Sep 11, 2018, 04:00 UTC) - Place: Phoenix, AZ - Coordinates: 33.440555, -111.835556 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4406&lon=-111.8356&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach: Aircraft wake turb encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/361) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 2 uninjured - Status: Completed, report April 22, 2020 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Major Investigations Division - NTSB case key (mKey): 98336 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DCA18CA289 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/98336/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=98336 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA18CA289 ## Probable cause an inadvertent encounter with wake turbulence. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Turbulence: wake turbulence](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032025): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on personnel (probable cause); cases with it: [Boeing 737-823, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032025/cases.md?model=13844CB), [All aircraft, 47 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032025/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach: Aircraft wake turb encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/361) (defining event); cases with it: [Boeing 737-823, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/361/sequence.md?model=13844CB), [All aircraft, 37 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/361/sequence.md) ## Analysis On September 10, 2018, at 9:00 pm Mountain Standard Time (MST), American Airlines flight 2197, a Boeing 737-800, N950NN, encountered wake turbulence while descending through 3,100 feet on approach to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (KPHX), Phoenix, Arizona. A flight attendant was securing items in the galley and was seriously injured as a result of the turbulence. There were no injuries to the other passengers or crew, and the airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA), Seattle, Washington, to KPHX. According to the flight crew, the seat belt sign was on, and the "prepare for landing" announcement was made to the flight attendants. The airplane was approximately three miles behind a narrow body Airbus, in landing configuration when the turbulence occurred. After landing, the flight crew were notified that one of the flight attendants had been injured. Paramedics met the flight at the gate and the flight attendant was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken left rib. ## Factual narrative On September 10, 2018, at 9:00 pm Mountain Standard Time (MST), American Airlines flight 2197, a Boeing 737-800, N950NN, encountered wake turbulence while descending through 3,100 feet on approach to the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (KPHX), Phoenix, Arizona. A flight attendant was securing items in the galley and was seriously injured as a result of the turbulence. There were no injuries to the other passengers or crew, and the airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (KSEA), Seattle, Washington, to KPHX. According to the flight crew, the seat belt sign was on, and the "prepare for landing" announcement was made to the flight attendants. The airplane was approximately three miles behind a narrow body Airbus, in landing configuration when the turbulence occurred. After landing, the flight crew were notified that one of the flight attendants had been injured. Paramedics met the flight at the gate and the flight attendant was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a broken left rib. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N950NN](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N950NN), registered now, S/N 31194, built 2014 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Boeing 737 (823) - Registry model: [Boeing 737-823](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-823) (registry code 13844CB) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [CFM International CFM56-7B24E series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-7b24e-series) (registry code 13804, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 31194 - Year built: 2014 - Airframe hours: 14425 - Engines: Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24E; Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24E - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: American Airlines - Registered owner: Wilmington Trust Co Trustee - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport; Standard, Utility - Last inspection: August 28, 2018 - Departed: SEA, Seattle, WA - Destination: PHX, Phoenix, AZ - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: PHX, Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl, runway 26, 11,489 × 150 ft, concrete - Equipment: Angle of attack indicator, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Heads up display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, ADS-B ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Observed at: KPHX ## Docket (1 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on May 4, 2020, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=98336. 2.1 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 2.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40483354&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Master.PDF From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.