- Date
- October 15, 2018, 13:10 local (17:10 UTC)
- Place
- Albany, NY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 142 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N7816BBoeing 737
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Case key
- 98494
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 encounter with convective turbulence that resulted in a 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
On October 15, 2018, about 1310 eastern daylight time, Southwest Airlines flight 2437, a Boeing 737-7L9, N7816B, encountered turbulence while descending through about FL280. As a result of the turbulence, one flight attendant received serious injuries. The remaining passengers and crew were not injured, and the airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled passenger flight was operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Chicago Midway International Airport (KMDW), Chicago, Illinois, to Manchester-Boston Regional Airport (KMHT), Manchester, New Hampshire. The flight crew stated that prior to encountering turbulence the seat belt sign had been illuminated, and the flight attendants had been asked to be seated since turbulence was anticipated. The flight crew stated that upon entering a “benign-looking” cloud formation the airplane encountered continuous moderate to heavy turbulence for about 20 to 30 seconds. The flight attendants (FA) stated that soon after receiving the call to be seated, the flight encountered turbulence and the FA in the aft galley was thrown against the door and cabinets, and then onto the floor, injuring her right foot. After landing the FA was transported to a local hospital and diagnosed with a broken right foot.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N7816B
- Reported as
- Boeing 737 (7L9)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 28009
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 58,134
- Engines
- Cfm Intl CFM56-7B24, 10,142 horsepower, turbo fanCfm Intl CFM56-7B24, 10,142 horsepower, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Southwest Airlines
- Registered owner
- Wells Fargo Trust Co Na Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 5, 2018
- Departed
- MDW · Chicago, IL
- Destination
- MHT · Manchester, NH
- 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
- 57
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane, Helicopter
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 13,000 total · 8,000 in this make and model · 8,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 38
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 7, 2017
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 6,270 total · 1,865 in this make and model · 2,360 as pilot in command · 167 in the last 90 days · 23 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day