- Date
- July 4, 2021, 20:41 local (Jul 5, 2021, 00:41 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 180 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N156ANAirbus A321-231
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Not reported
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- American Airlines
- Case key
- 103420
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 July 4th, 2021, at 10:41 pm eastern daylight time, American Airlines flight 2206, an Airbus A321, N156AN, encountered turbulence during descent to Miami International Airport (KMIA), Miami, Florida. Of the 181 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant was seriously injured. The airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled passenger flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from the Dallas-Fort Worth International airport (KDFW), Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas, to KMIA. According to the flight crew, they observed convective activity that they would descend through during the approach and informed the lead flight attendant to prepare the cabin early and to take their seats. The weather radar was on, and the seatbelt sign was illuminated. Shortly after this, as they descended through between 12,000-10,000 feet, the airplane passed through the tops of a small cumulus buildup and the flight experienced moderate turbulence. When the turbulence was encountered, the #3 flight attendant (FA), located in the aft galley, was thrown into the air and was seriously injured after striking the floor hard. The FAs informed the flight crew of the injury and the captain requested paramedics meet the flight at the gate. After landing, the flight attendant was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured compressed vertebra.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N156AN
- Reported as
- Airbus A321-231
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6983
- Built
- 2016
- Airframe hours
- 15,695
- Engines
- IAE V2533-A5, 31,600 lbs thrust, turbo fanIAE V2533-A5, 31,600 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- American Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 2, 2021
- Departed
- KDFW · Dallas-Fort Worth, TX
- Destination
- KMIA · Miami, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Auto-pilot, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight 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 · 6
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,530 total · 2,530 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 26, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,511 total · 352 in this make and model
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Front
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- None
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- None
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- None
Weather
- Conditions
- Not reported
- Wind
- 130° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 25,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 90 °F, dew point 73 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.01 inHg
- Observed at
- KMIA, 1 nm away
- METAR
- KMIA 041553Z 13009KT 10SM FEW025 SCT210 BKN250 32/23 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP161 T03220233 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 6, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.4 MB in all.