- Date
- July 23, 2023
- Place
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 181 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N229NVAirbus A320-214
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Near midair/TCAS alert/loss of separation
- 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
- Allegiant, FAA/AVP100
- Case key
- 192791
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 crew’s abrupt change in pitch in response to a traffic collision advisory system resolution advisory that resulted in a serious injury to a flight attendant.
Findings · 2
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
Allegiant Air flight 485 flight crew preformed a climb maneuver in response to a Traffic Collison Avoidance System (TCAS) advisory resulting in a serious injury to a flight attendant onboard. Flight 485 was at flight level (FL) 230 [23,000 feet] and enroute to the Blue Grass Airport (LEX), Lexington, Kentucky when the event occurred. The flight crew reported they had been on a generally northern course since their departure from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) when they received a heading of 100 degrees from air traffic control (ATC). Jacksonville Center closed the airspace to the North in response to severe weather in the area. Minutes later, the flight crew reported receiving a TCAS traffic advisory (TA) followed immediately by a resolution advisory (RA) to which the flight crew followed the given climb rate, to avoid another aircraft in their path. After the flight crew returned to FL230, they received a call from the lead flight attendant to report that the unexpected climb caused one flight attendant to be “knocked to the ground” and was injured. ATC declared an emergency for the flight after the flight crew reported the injury of the flight attendant and the flight subsequently diverted back to FLL due to significant weather over central Florida.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N229NV
- Reported as
- Airbus A320-214
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 730
- Built
- 1997
- Airframe hours
- 74,706.4
- Engines
- CFM Intl CFM56-5B4/P, 27,000 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM Intl CFM56-5B4/3, 27,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Allegiant Air, LLC
- Registered owner
- Sunrise Asset Management LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · July 31, 2023
- Departed
- KFLL · Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- KLEX · Lexington, KY
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system
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
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 27, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 12,843 total · 5,010 in this make and model · 8,852 as pilot in command · 124 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- May 25, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 2,409 total · 128 in this make and model · 1,767 as pilot in command · 128 in the last 90 days · 61 in the last 30 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- Serious
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- None
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- None
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- None
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 260° at 3 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 75 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.99 inHg
- Observed at
- KXMR, 7 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 18, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.5 MB in all.