- Date
- August 29, 2022, 16:43 UTC
- Place
- Detroit, MI
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 101 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N946ATBoeing 717-200
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: 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
- Parties
- Delta Air Lines, Inc
- Case key
- 105843
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 · 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
A flight attendant (FA) was injured when the flight encountered turbulence during descent. According to the captain, he conducted a preflight briefing with the FA and advised of the possibility of light to moderate chop, mainly below 12,000 feet, during the descent into the Detroit area. During the initial descent, at approximately 20,000 feet, the aircraft encountered light turbulence with a few encounters of moderate turbulence for about a minute. The captain gave the final indication (two chimes) shortly afterward and then overheard the FA give the final public address (PA) over the intercom. The remainder of the descent was mainly smooth with a little light chop. Shortly after arriving at the gate and having completed the normal shutdown procedures, the FA came to the cockpit and indicated that she had been injured and requested that the captain report it. According to the FA, she was in the forward galley when the airplane encountered turbulence; she impacted the left side of her body on the galley counter. She indicated that she took a direct hit to her ribs and then fell backward and struck the cabin door with her back. After deplaning was complete, the flight crew gathered their belongings and exited the aircraft. As they exited, the FA showed signs of being in pain; as her left side was becoming more painful. The flight crew helped her to the next gate where she sat down and was met by the paramedics who briefly evaluated her before she was transported to the local hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured rib.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N946AT
- Reported as
- Boeing 717-200
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 55009
- Built
- 1999
- Airframe hours
- 58,673
- Engines
- BMW Rolls BR 700 SERIES, 14,970 lbs thrust, turbo fanBMW Rolls BR 700 SERIES, 14,970 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Registered owner
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · August 26, 2022
- Departed
- KBUF · Buffalo, NY
- Destination
- KDTW · Detroit, MI
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- runway 21L, 10,001 × 150 ft, unknown
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Data recorder, Auto-pilot
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
- 46
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- July 1, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 3,617 total · 2,333.6 in this make and model · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 12, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 341.01 total · 341.01 in this make and model · 125.29 in the last 90 days · 5 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Front
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- Left
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Left
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 190° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,300 ft unknown
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.94 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- KDTW
Docket · 4
The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 20, 2023, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.8 MB in all.