- Date
- July 5, 2020, 16:00 local (20:00 UTC)
- Place
- Orlando, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 3 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N254WNBoeing 737-7H4
- 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
- Parties
- Southwest Airlines - Senior Safety Investigator
- Case key
- 104013
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 moderate turbulence during descent.
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
A flight attendant, who was standing in the aft galley while securing the cabin, was injured when the flight encountered turbulence during descent. According to the flight crew, there was a significant area of weather over the Florida peninsula, so they directed the flight attendants to secure the cabin early and take their seats for the remainder of the flight. While they were securing the cabin, the flight encountered an area of moderate convective turbulence lasting about 30 seconds. When the turbulence was encountered, the “B” position flight attendant was seriously injured after being thrown down and striking the aft galley floor hard. The captain was not told of any injuries at the time of the event. The flight attendant was later diagnosed with a compression fracture of the L1 vertebra spine along with other back injuries including disc herniation and cervical, thoracic, and lumbar sprain.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N254WN
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-7H4
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32512
- Built
- 2006
- Airframe hours
- 48,136
- Engines
- CFM Intl CFM56-7B24, 24,200 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM Intl CFM56-7B24, 24,200 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 · July 1, 2020
- Departed
- MKJS · Montego Bay, OF
- Destination
- KMCO · Orlando, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Heads up display, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator
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
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- July 8, 2019
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 91 total · 91 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- December 1, 2019
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 9,861 total · 2,436 in this make and model · 2,776 as pilot in command · 236 in the last 90 days · 66 in the last 30 days · 4 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- Serious
- Restraint
- None
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- Minor
- Restraint
- None
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Restraint
- None
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 310° at 10 knots, gusting 21
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 20,000 ft broken
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.98 inHg
- Observed at
- KMCO
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 19, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.3 MB in all.
Other investigations on N254WN · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.