# NTSB DCA19CA151: Boeing 737-8H4, N8697C, Waycross, GA, May 25, 2019

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Data collection · Final report
- Date: May 25, 2019, 17:15 local (21:15 UTC)
- Place: Waycross, GA
- Coordinates: 30.944166, -82.196662 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=30.9442&lon=-82.1967&mi=10
- Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping)
- Defining event: [Enroute-descent: Turbulence encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360)
- Highest injury: Serious injuries
- Injuries: 1 serious, 1 minor, 126 uninjured
- Status: Completed
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office: Major Investigations Division
- NTSB case key (mKey): 99486
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DCA19CA151
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/99486/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=99486
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA19CA151

## Probable cause

an encounter with convectively induced turbulence while penetrating cumulus clouds during descent.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Turbulence: convective turbulence](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032020): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on personnel (probable cause); cases with it: [Boeing 737-8H4, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032020/cases.md?model=138440A), [All aircraft, 145 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032020/cases.md)

## Sequence of events

The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened.

- [Enroute-descent: Turbulence encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360) (defining event); cases with it: [Boeing 737-8H4, 3 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360/sequence.md?model=138440A), [All aircraft, 423 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360/sequence.md)

## Analysis

On May 25, 2019, about 1715 eastern daylight time, Southwest Airlines flight 2842, a Boeing 737-8H4, N8697C, encountered turbulence during descent into Jacksonville International Airport (KJAX), Jacksonville, Florida. Of the 128 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant sustained serious injuries and one flight attendant sustained minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Chicago Midway International Airport (KMDW), Chicago, Illinois, to KJAX. According to the captain, as the flight approached 15,000 feet, he noticed there was a scattered layer of clouds they needed to descend through, and so he elected to provide the 10,000-foot chime to the flight attendants early. As the flight descended through the layer at about 12,000 feet, the airplane encountered moderate turbulence. The seat belt sign was off, and the flight crew had turned off the weather radar about 5 minutes before because they had observed no weather between the airplane and KJAX. According to the flight attendants (FA), the turbulence was encountered shortly after they received the 10,000-foot chime and begun their final walkthrough of the cabin. The two FAs in the aft cabin were thrown into the air and then struck the floor. One of the injured FAs was transferred to a passenger seat for the remainder of the flight. The flight crew was notified of the injury, who requested that paramedics meet the airplane at the gate. After landing, the two aft FAs were transported to the hospital where one was diagnosed with a fractured ankle. Post accident examination of the weather data determined that the turbulence was encountered in the vicinity of the sea breeze front and localized convergence where towering cumulus clouds (cumulus congestus clouds) were depicted on the satellite imagery. There was no lightning detected, pilot reports (PIREPs), or inflight advisories for convection or turbulence current for the area.

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N8697C](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N8697C), registered now, S/N 36728, built 2016 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 737-8H4 (No Series)
- Registry model: [Boeing 737-8H4](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-737-8h4) (registry code 138440A) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [CFM International CFM56-7B27E/F series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-7b27e-f-series) (registry code 13100, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 36728
- Year built: 2016
- Airframe hours: 9864
- Engines: GE CFM 56-7B E/F 27000 lbs thrust turbo fan; GE CFM 56-7B E/F 27000 lbs thrust turbo fan
- Damage: No damage
- Flight: Part 121
- Operator: Southwest Airlines Co
- Registered owner: Southwest Airlines Co
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport
- Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, May 23, 2019
- Departed: KMDW, Chicago, IL
- Destination: KJAX, Jacksonville, FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Equipment: Stall warning system, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Heads up display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 53; injuries: none; airline transport, flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review December 18, 2018; seat: left; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 14,909 total, 8,027 in this make and model, 7,436 as pilot in command, 148 in the last 90 days, 42 in the last 30 days, 1.7 in the last 24 hours
- Co-pilot; age 44; injuries: none; airline transport, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review March 24, 2019; seat: right; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 12,538 total, 508 in this make and model, 10,160 as pilot in command, 163 in the last 90 days, 44 in the last 30 days, 0 in the last 24 hours
- Cabin crew; injuries: serious; seat: none; restraint: none; flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model
- Cabin crew; injuries: minor; seat: none; restraint: none; flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 100° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Temperature: 93 °F, dew point 64 °F
- Altimeter: 30.07 inHg
- Turbulence: Moderate
- Observed at: KJAX, 37 nm away

## Docket (13 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 13, 2021, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=99486. 13.4 MB in all.

- Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 493 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9674661&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=6120%20DCA19CA151%20SWA%202842%20MDW-JAX-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors specialist report (item 2, PDF, 29 pages, 983 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8921451&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=DCA19CA151%20-%20Operational%20Factors%20Specialist%20Report%20-%20Final-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors - attachment 1 - crew statements (item 3, PDF, 5 pages, 98 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8860666&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%201%20-%20Crew%20Statements_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors - attachment 2 - flight crew schedules (item 4, PDF, 9 pages, 3.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8859952&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%202%20-%20Flight%20Crew%20Schedules_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors - attachment 3 - flight crew training records (item 5, PDF, 9 pages, 1.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8860389&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%203%20-%20Flight%20Crew%20Training%20Records_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors - attachment 4 - accident flight dispatch release (item 6, PDF, 5 pages, 62 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8860719&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%204%20-%20Accident%20Flight%20Dispatch%20Release_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors - attachment 5 - accident flight weather package (item 7, PDF, 12 pages, 562 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8860459&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%205%20-%20Accident%20Flight%20Weather%20Packet_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors - attachment 6 - southwest airlines flight operations manual [excerpts] (item 8, PDF, 14 pages, 1.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8859629&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%206%20-%20Southwest%20Airlines%20Flight%20Operations%20Manual%20(Excerpts)_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors - attachment 7 - southwest airlines aircracft operations manual [excerpts] (item 9, PDF, 4 pages, 186 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8859256&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%207%20-%20Southwest%20Airlines%20Aircraft%20Operations%20Manual%20(Excerpts)-Rel.pdf
- Operational factors - attachment 8 - southwest airlines flight attendant manual [excerpts] (item 10, PDF, 7 pages, 159 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8859265&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%208%20-%20Southwest%20Airlines%20Flight%20Attendant%20Manual%20(Excerpts)_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Weather study (item 11, PDF, 27 pages, 2.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8924368&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=DCA19CA151%20-%20Jacksonville,%20FL%20Turbulence-Rel.pdf
- Attachment 1 - ncar graphic turbulence guidance nowcast (gtgn) (item 12, PDF, 24 pages, 1.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8924560&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%201%20-%20NCAR%20GTGN_20190525%20near%20KJAX-Rel.pdf
- Attachmnet 2 - weather packet issued to flight (item 13, PDF, 2 pages, 263 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=8924631&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Attachment%202%20-%20Weather%20packet%20WSI%20FPG%20WSI%20SIGMET-Rel.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.

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