- Date
- April 5, 2003, 20:15 local (Apr 6, 2003, 03:15 UTC)
- Place
- Pueblo, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 1 minor, 62 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N917FRAirbus Industrie A319-111
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report February 5, 2004
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Denver, CO
- FAA report
- 20030405005349A
- Case key
- 56763
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
in-flight encounter with turbulence.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The captain stated that the airplane was climbing when they encountered light turbulence at 22,000 feet. One of the pilots called to the flight attendants and asked them to sit down. According to the captain, 30 to 60 seconds later the airplane encountered severe turbulence. One flight attendant fractured two metatarsal bones in her left foot, and another flight attendant received minor injuries. The airplane returned to the airport without further incident.
Factual narrative
0n April 5, 2003, at approximately 2015 mountain standard time, an Airbus Industrie A319-111, N917FR, owned by Frontier Airlines, Inc., and operating as flight 133, encountered turbulence near Pueblo, Colorado. The captain, first officer, one flight attendant, and 59 passengers were not injured. However, one flight attendant was seriously injured and one received minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The scheduled domestic passenger flight was being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121. The flight originated at 1945 from Denver, Colorado, and was en route to Dallas, Texas.
The captain stated that the airplane was climbing when they encountered light turbulence at 22,000 feet over Pueblo, Colorado. One of the pilots called to the flight attendants and asked them to sit down. According to the captain, 30 to 60 seconds later the airplane encountered severe turbulence. One flight attendant fractured two metatarsal bones in her left foot, and another flight attendant received minor injuries. The airplane returned to Denver without further incident.
The weather packet, issued by the company and ATC reported that nothing more than light turbulence was to be expected. There were no returns on the radar in the immediate vicinity of Pueblo, Colorado.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N917FR
- Reported as
- Airbus Industrie A319-111
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1890
- Airframe hours
- 590.4
- Engines
- General Electric CFM56-5B 5/P, 22,000 lbs thrust, turbo fanGeneral Electric CFM56-5B 5/P, 22,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Frontier Airlines Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · April 3, 2003 · 18.6 hours before
- Departed
- DEN · Denver, CO
- Destination
- DFW · Dallas, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
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
- 34
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Last flight review
- October 27, 2002
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 7,988 total · 320 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Last flight review
- March 12, 2002
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 7,069 total · 25 in this make and model · 84 in the last 90 days · 10 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- 70° at 20 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 9,000 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 43 °F, dew point 30 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.72 inHg
- Observed at
- PUB
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.