- Date
- October 5, 2009, 23:44 local (23:44 UTC)
- Place
- Argentina
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 231 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N156DLBoeing 767-3P6
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 19, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/AVP-100
- Case key
- 74929
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 turbulence, which resulted in an injury to a flight cabin attendant.
Findings · 1
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
During the cruise portion of a scheduled international passenger flight, a flight attendant incurred serious injury while trying to stow a beverage cart during an encounter with turbulence. The flight attendant stated, "…the cart as it often does, went to the side and not forward as I was trying to put it in its secured position. Unknown to me, when the cart went on [its] own route to the side and not forward it must have caused a whip lash." The flight attendant continued with her duties for the remainder of the flight, and sought medical attention after the flight landed at its scheduled destination. The flight attendant's injuries consisted of two fractured ribs. According to statements provided by the cockpit crew, they were unaware that anyone had been injured until several days after the conclusion of the flight. None recalled encountering any significant turbulence during the flight. Seven other flight attendants also provided written statements. Five of the flight attendants did not recall anything abnormal about the flight, one recalled encountering a "patch of rough air," and one recalled encountering an unexpected area of "severe turbulence." Due to the Safety Board's late notification of the event, flight data recorder information pertaining to the accident flight was not available. The exact time and location that the event took place could not be determined.
Factual narrative
During the cruise portion of a scheduled international passenger flight, a flight attendant incurred serious injury while trying to stow a beverage cart during an encounter with turbulence. The flight attendant stated, "…the cart as it often does, went to the side and not forward as I was trying to put it in its secured position. Unknown to me, when the cart went on [its] own route to the side and not forward it must have caused a whip lash." The flight attendant continued with her duties for the remainder of the flight, and sought medical attention after the flight landed at its scheduled destination. The flight attendant's injuries consisted of two fractured ribs. According to statements provided by the cockpit crew, they were unaware that anyone had been injured until several days after the conclusion of the flight. None recalled encountering any significant turbulence during the flight. Seven other flight attendants also provided written statements. Five of the flight attendants did not recall anything abnormal about the flight, one recalled encountering a "patch of rough air," and one recalled encountering an unexpected area of "severe turbulence." Due to the Safety Board's late notification of the event, flight data recorder information pertaining to the accident flight was not available. The exact time and location that the event took place could not be determined.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N156DL
- Reported as
- Boeing 767-3P6
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 25354
- Airframe hours
- 76,843
- Engines
- General Electric CF6-80C2, 45,720 lbs thrust, turbo fanGeneral Electric CF6-80C2, 45,720 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Registered owner
- Delta Air Lines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 8, 2009 · 76,843 hours before
- Departed
- SAEZ · Buenos Aires
- Destination
- ATL · Atlanta, GA
- 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
- 50
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- April 3, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 12,715 total · 2,797 in this make and model
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 49
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- April 19, 2009
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 7,461 total · 3,733 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 15, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 583 KB in all.