- Date
- December 23, 2020, 12:30 local (18:30 UTC)
- Place
- Houston, TX
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 139 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N463UAAirbus Industrie A320-232
- Defining event
- Approach: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- FAA report
- 20201223020349A
- Case key
- 102469
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 forecasted convective turbulence during approach.
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 23, 2020, about 1230 central standard time, United Airlines flight 1481, an Airbus A320-232, N463UA, encountered turbulence during approach into George Bush International Airport (KIAH), Houston, Texas. Of the 140 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant sustained serious injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from John Wayne Airport (KSNA), Orange County, California, to KIAH. According to the flight crew, while reviewing the preflight weather, they noted rain showers and thunderstorms in the vicinity of KIAH for their arrival time. As the flight descended into KIAH, the flight crew observed numerous cumulous clouds in the area and between 12,000 and 10,000 feet, the captain “double chimed” the cabin (indicating that the cabin should be secured early) and made a public address (PA) announcement, stating “flight attendants take your jumpseats.” Shortly thereafter, the aircraft penetrated a towering cumulous cloud. At the time the PA announcement was made, the flight attendants (FA) were conducting their before landing cabin checks. When the turbulence was encountered, the lead FA was secured in her jumpseat, but the two other FAs had just reached the aft galley and were about to sit down. One of the aft FAs was thrown to floor resulting in severe pain and numbness down both legs. The uninjured FA assisted her buckling into the jumpseat where she remained for the rest of the flight. Paramedics met the airplane at the gate and transported the injured FA to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis. Post accident review of the weather indicated an area of convective turbulence from a developing area of thunderstorms immediately south and directly downwind of the flight track about the time the injury occurred.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N463UA
- Reported as
- Airbus Industrie A320-232
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1282
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 65,971
- Engines
- International Aero Engines V2527-A5, 27,000 lbs thrust, turbo fanInternational Aero Engines V2527-A5, 27,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Airlines
- Registered owner
- United Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · November 2, 2020
- Departed
- KSNA · Santa Ana, CA
- Destination
- KIAH · Houston, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, ADS-B
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 · 5
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Private, Flight engineer, Military, Recreational
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 16, 2020
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 21,956 total · 8,339 in this make and model · 3,963 as pilot in command · 39 in the last 90 days · 35 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport, Private, Recreational
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 14, 2020
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 16,448 total · 9,308 in this make and model · 1,020 as pilot in command · 120 in the last 90 days · 42 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 220° at 9 knots, gusting 16
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 4,300 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 24 °F, dew point 18 °F
- Altimeter
- 2993.00 inHg
- Turbulence
- Light
- Observed at
- KIAH
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 6, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 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.