- Date
- July 7, 2006, 08:00 local (14:00 UTC)
- Place
- Masonville, CO
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 110 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N839UAAirbus A319-131
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 31, 2006
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Parties
- FAA Flight Standards District Office
- FAA report
- 20060707014229A
- Case key
- 64058
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's encounter with unexpected turbulence, which resulted in a passenger sustaining a fractured ankle.
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 crew reported that the flight had been smooth, the "fasten seatbelt sign" was off, and passengers were allowed to get up and move around the cabin. According to the passenger, she was exiting the aft lavatory when the airplane encountered some turbulence. She stated that she felt as if she was being "jammed" to the floor, and felt her right ankle and leg "go" before she fell to the floor. She sustained serious injury to her right ankle. There were no airmen's meteorological information or significant meteorological information issued for turbulence for the area at the time of the accident. No other injuries were reported and the airplane landed without further incident.
Factual narrative
On July 7, 2006, approximately 0800 mountain daylight time, an Airbus A319-131, N839UA, owned and operated by United Air Lines Inc., encountered turbulence at 17,000 feet mean sea level (msl), near Masonville, Colorado. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The scheduled domestic passenger flight was being operated under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121 on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The captain, first officer, 3 cabin attendants and 105 passengers reported no injuries. One passenger sustained serious injuries. The cross-country flight departed Jackson, Wyoming, at 0720 and was en route to Denver International Airport (DEN), Denver, Colorado.
According to United Airlines, the airplane was on the RAMMS arrival for DEN descending through 17,000 feet mean sea level. The flight crew and cabin crew all reported that the flight had been smooth, the "fasten seatbelt sign" was off, and passengers were allowed to get up and move around the cabin. According to the passenger, she was exiting the aft lavatory when the airplane encountered some turbulence. She stated that she felt as if she was being "jammed" to the floor, and felt her right ankle and leg "go" before she fell to the floor. There were no airmen's meteorological information (AIRMETS) or significant meteorological information (SIGMETS) issued for turbulence for the area at the time of the accident. No other injuries were reported and the airplane landed without further incident at DEN approximately 0820. Upon arrival in DEN, it was established that the passenger had fractured her right ankle.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N839UA
- Reported as
- Airbus A319-131
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 1507
- Airframe hours
- 18,110
- Engines
- International Aero Engines V2522-A5, turbo fanInternational Aero Engines V2522-A5, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Registered owner
- United Airlines
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · June 1, 2006
- Departed
- JAC · Jackson, WY
- 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
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- April 1, 2006
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 15,000 total · 3,000 in this make and model · 170 in the last 90 days · 36 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 44
- 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, 2005
- Seat
- Rear
- Flight hours
- 6,800 total · 2,800 in this make and model · 146 in the last 90 days · 64 in the last 30 days · 7 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 60 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.26 inHg
- Observed at
- BJC
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.