# NTSB DCA23LA196: Airbus A320-251N, N366FR, Dallas, TX, March 2, 2023 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report - Date: March 2, 2023, 14:20 local (20:20 UTC) - Place: Dallas, TX · on approach descent to land at KDFW - Coordinates: 32.8998, -97.0403 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8998&lon=-97.0403&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Approach](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/500) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Approach: Turbulence encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 196 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish - NTSB office: Major Investigations Division - Parties: Frontier Airlines, Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 106815 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DCA23LA196 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/106815/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=106815 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA23LA196 ## Probable cause The flight’s encounter with convective turbulence. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Turbulence](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032000): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Effect on personnel; cases with it: [Airbus A320-251N, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032000/cases.md?model=3940325), [All aircraft, 92 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032000/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Approach: Turbulence encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360) (defining event); cases with it: [Airbus A320-251N, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360/sequence.md?model=3940325), [All aircraft, 423 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360/sequence.md) ## Analysis Frontier Airlines flight 1369 experienced convective turbulence during the descent from cruise altitude to land at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The captain stated they were briefed and were expecting a mostly smooth flight from Chicago Midway International airport to the Saint Louis area, and then anticipated a “bumpy ride” the remainder of the flight to the DFW, and those were exactly the conditions they encountered. He said that about halfway through the flight it became rough, and they were allowed to deviate around some convective cells to get a smoother ride. Air traffic control (ATC) also gave an additional reroute to transition south of the weather and return to the same arrival transition east to DFW. The captain said that the ride became smoother, so he turned off the seat belt sign as the flight was descending on the arrival at DFW. During arrival, the flight was given a descent to flight level (FL) 240 and told to maintain 290 knots or better. It was mostly smooth, so the captain kept the seat belt sign off, but as the descent progressed, they started getting some light chop, and all of a sudden experienced “one big, unexpected bump”. The captain said he immediately turned the seat belt sign on and made a call to the flight attendants (FA) to get seated. He said the “A” FA told him that one crew member fell and hit her head and hip and was in pain and unable to get up. The first officer (FO) stated they were instructed to descend from FL280 to FL240 and during the descent the airplane flew through a cloud that looked “light with no apparent indications of adverse conditions”, but upon entering the cloud the ride went from smooth, to light, to moderate turbulence. There had been no pilot reports (PIREPS) prior to entering the descent, and the flight attendants had been preparing the cabin for landing and were about to be seated. The FO recalled that the seat belt sign was on throughout the descent. The FO said he immediately got on the public address (PA) system and told the flight attendants to be seated, and shortly thereafter they were informed that the “D” flight attendant had been thrown around and was injured. The flight crew informed ATC of the medical event, requested priority handling, and asked for paramedics to meet the airplane at the gate. ATC declared an emergency for the flight crew. The injured flight attendant was on the galley floor and could not get up. She was assisted by another flight attendant and two passenger nurses, and the flight landed otherwise uneventfully. After landing the injured flight attendant was given medical care and diagnosed with a broken hip. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N366FR](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N366FR), registered now, S/N 9465, built 2020 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AIRBUS A320-251N - Registry model: [Airbus A320-251N](https://openairdocs.org/model/airbus-a320-251n) (registry code 3940325) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [CFM International LEAP-1A26](https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-leap-1a26) (registry code 13110, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 9465 - Year built: 2020 - Engines: CFM INTL LEAP-1A26 27120 lbs thrust turbo jet; CFM INTL LEAP-1A26 27120 lbs thrust turbo jet - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: Frontier Airlines, doing business as Frontier Airlines, Inc. - Registered owner: Bank Of Utah Trustee - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: KMDW, Chicago, IL - Destination: KDFW, Dallas, TX - Flight plan: IFR - Equipment: Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, Stall warning system, Onboard weather, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 45; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review January 9, 2023; seat: left; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 11,000 total, 3,854 in this make and model - Co-pilot; age 32; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review July 17, 2023; seat: right; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 2,298 total, 1,253 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Lowest ceiling: none ## Docket (7 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 18, 2024, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=106815. 1.5 MB in all. - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 11 pages, 1.2 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15742910&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=SHQ-F3-MIN-23031007140%20NTSB%206120_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Employee statements - no. 1 (item 2, PDF, 1 page, 19 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15742102&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Submission_108223_Flight%20Crew%20Incident_Flight%20Attendant%20injury-Rel.pdf - Employee statements - no. 2 (item 3, PDF, 2 pages, 20 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15743245&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Submission_107701_Flight%20Crew%20Incident_Crew%20member%20hurt%20in%20flight%20-Rel.pdf - Employee statements no 3 (item 4, PDF, 2 pages, 26 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15743537&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Shannon%20Mallone%20-%20cSubmission_107831_Inflight%20Medical%20Event_Severe%20Crew%20Member%20Injury__Redacted-Rel.pdf - Employee statements no 4 (item 5, PDF, 3 pages, 170 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15743299&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=SandraHyer_31333_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Employee statements no 5 (item 6, PDF, 2 pages, 26 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15743871&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Rachel%20Robertson%20-%20Submission_107978_Inflight%20Medical%20Event_Flight%20attendant%20injury_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Employee statements no 6 (item 7, PDF, 2 pages, 26 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=15743812&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Judith%20Strutz%20-%20Submission_107890_Inflight%20Medical%20Event_Flight%20Attendant%20injury_Redacted-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.