- Date
- September 7, 2023, 02:32 UTC
- Place
- Hebron, KY
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 70 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N37531Boeing 737-9
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: 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
- Federal Aviation Administration
- Case key
- 193031
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 inadvertent encounter with convectively induced turbulence (CIT) 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
United Airlines flight 1759 encountered moderate turbulence while descending through 11,000 ft for landing at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) Hebron, Kentucky, and a flight attendant (FA) fractured her pelvis. The flight crew reported that while descending on the SARGO-3 arrival into CVG they observed a single cloud with no apparent vertical development at about 11,000 ft. With no indication of an adverse ride from air traffic control (ATC), their onboard weather applications or their weather radar, the pilots elected to continue. Upon entering the cloud, the flight encountered about 2 seconds of moderate turbulence. Following the turbulence encounter the flight crew received a call from the cabin advising them that a FA had been injured. The aft FA assigned to jumpseat 2L reported that she was completing her duties in the aft galley and was seated in her jumpseat but had not fastened her safety harness, when suddenly and without warning, they encountered severe turbulence. She was thrown into the air, struck the ceiling and impacted the floor on her side fracturing her pelvis. Upon being notified of the injury, the flight crew declared a medical emergency and requested paramedics meet the aircraft at the gate. The injured FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured pelvis. At the time of the turbulence encounter there were no active significant meteorological information (SIGMETs), convective SIGMETs, airman’s meteorological information (AIRMETs), or pilot reports (PIREPs) of any significant turbulence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N37531
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-9
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 66119
- Built
- 2022
- Engines
- CFM Intl LEAP-1B-28G06, 27,900 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM Intl LEAP-1B-28G06, 27,900 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- United Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- United Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- Houston, TX
- Destination
- Cinncinati, OH
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Equipment
- Onboard weather, Heads up display, Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Stall warning system, ADS-B, 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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 36
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- February 6, 2023
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 11,000 total · 3,400 in this make and model · 2,500 as pilot in command · 200 in the last 90 days · 50 in the last 30 days
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 26, 2023
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 4-point
- Flight hours
- 15,700 total · 10,500 in this make and model · 2,000 as pilot in command · 50 in the last 90 days · 17 in the last 30 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night
- Wind
- 190° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.85 inHg
- Turbulence
- Moderate
- Observed at
- KCVG, 39 nm away
- METAR
- KCVG 070252Z 19005KT 10SM FEW070 22/21 A2985 RMK AO2 SLP097 T02170206 50000
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 27, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 MB in all.