- Date
- June 10, 2005, 18:12 local (Jun 11, 2005, 00:12 UTC)
- Place
- Scottsbluff, NE
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 126 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N302NBAirbus Industrie A-319-114
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Status
- Completed · report October 27, 2005
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- Denver, CO
- FAA report
- 20050610013729A
- Case key
- 61741
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 inflight encounter with moderate 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 aircraft was flying in an area of thunderstorms with the nearest cell 40 miles to the left of course. The captain said the top of a thunderstorm cell was "not painting on radar." They had been expecting light chop but encountered moderate turbulence instead. When the airplane encountered the turbulence, a flight attendant struck the ceiling and a beverage cart. The seat belt light was illuminated at the time. An emergency was declared and the aircraft landed at Denver without further incident. The injured flight attendant was taken to a hospital. An AIRMET for "occasional moderate turbulence between FL270 and FL400 associated with jet stream windshear" had been in effect for the area. There were no PIREPS (pilot reports) of turbulence before the accident, but in the 40 minutes after the accident, there were 5 pilot reports of moderate turbulence at altitudes between FL320 and FL380.
Factual narrative
On June 10, at 1812 mountain daylight time an Airbus Industrie A-319-114, N302NB, operated by Northwest Air Lines as flight 563, encountered turbulence near Scottsbluff, Nebraska, while descending through 34,000 feet msl. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The flight was being conducted on an IFR flight plan under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121. One flight attendant was seriously injured. The remaining 2 pilots, 4 flight attendants, and 120 passengers aboard were not injured. The flight originated at Minneapolis, Minnesota, and was en route to Denver, Colorado.
The aircraft was flying in an area of thunderstorms with the nearest cell 40 miles to the left of course. The captain said the top of a thunderstorm cell was "not painting on radar." They had been expecting light chop but encountered moderate turbulence instead. When the airplane encountered the turbulence, a flight attendant struck the ceiling, and a beverage cart. The seat belt sign was illuminated at the time. An emergency was declared and the aircraft landed at Denver without further incident. The injured flight attendant was taken to a hospital. According to Northwest Airlines, the flight attendant's injuries included two broken ribs, a liver contusion, and an intestinal blockage.
According to the Denver Automated Flight Service Station (AFSS), an AIRMET for "occasional moderate turbulence between FL270 and FL400 associated with jet stream windshear" had been in effect for the area. There were no PIREPS (pilot reports) of turbulence before the accident, but in the 40 minutes after the accident, there were 5 pilot reports of moderate turbulence at altitudes between FL320 and FL380. show that an AIRMET for turbulence existed that covered the area where the aircraft encountered the turbulence.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N302NB
- Reported as
- Airbus Industrie A-319-114
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1062
- Engines
- CFM International CFM56-5-A5, turbo fanCFM International CFM56-5-A5, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- Northwest Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- MSP · Minneapolis, MN
- Destination
- DEN · Denver, CO
- 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
- 51
- 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
- November 1, 2004
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,050 total · 970 in this make and model · 970 as pilot in command
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 48
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2005
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 4,625 total · 1,586 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC)
- Wind
- 320° at 12 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 1,400 ft broken
- Temperature
- 54 °F, dew point 48 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- DEN
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.