- Date
- May 25, 2022, 01:10 UTC
- Place
- Springfield, MO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 150 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N483UAAirbus Industrie A320-232
- Defining event
- Enroute: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- United Flight Safety
- Case key
- 105167
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
The flight’s encounter with clear air moderate turbulence.
Findings · 3
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
United Airlines flight 2197 experienced clear air moderate turbulence at flight level (FL) 350 while enroute to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), Toronto, Canada. The flight was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston, Texas. As a result of the turbulence, one flight attendant experienced a serious injury to their wrist. The aircraft received no damage and continued to its destination without further incident. As stated by the first officer, dispatch remarks for this flight included a forecast for light to moderate turbulence over VORTACs BUM - JOT between FL310 - 390. The captain conducted a pre-departure briefing with the flight attendants which included the possibility of experiencing turbulence. About two hours into the flight, two flight attendants were in the last three rows of the aft cabin conducting in-flight service when light turbulence commenced. The two flight attendants decided to “bring the cart back into the galley to finish the service.” As they were pushing back into the galley, the turbulence intensified, and one of the two flight attendants asked the other to sit down in their jump seat while the other set the brake on the cart. As the flight attendant was securing the cart, the captain made an announcement asking the flight attendants to take their seats. At that time, the flight attendant who was securing the cart lost their footing and fell back where the other flight attendant had taken their seat. The seated flight attendant attempted to brace the falling flight attendant and injured their wrist. The captain stated that this instance of turbulence lasted about 15 seconds. In addition, he reported that that the seatbelt sign had been on for five minutes prior to this moderate turbulence as the aircraft flew through light turbulence earlier in the flight. The injured flight attendant was treated by an onboard doctor, and the flight proceeded to its destination without further incident. Upon arrival to Toronto, paramedics met the airplane. The flight attendant was taken for x-rays and diagnosed with a broken bone in their wrist.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N483UA
- Reported as
- Airbus Industrie A320-232
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1586
- Built
- 2001
- Airframe hours
- 63,348
- Engines
- IAE V2527-A5, 27,000 lbs thrust, turbo fanIAE V2527-A5, 27,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Airlines
- Registered owner
- Wells Fargo Trust Co Na Trustee
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 8, 2022
- Departed
- IAH · Houston, TX
- Destination
- YYZ · Toronto, OF
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder
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 · 3
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight engineer
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 20, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 18,600 total · 3,800 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 163 in the last 90 days · 85 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 44
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 22, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 6,000 total · 639 in this make and model · 2,300 as pilot in command · 180 in the last 90 days · 82 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- Serious
- Restraint
- 5-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 8
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 1, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 7.3 MB in all.