- Date
- October 27, 2009, 17:15 local (22:15 UTC)
- Place
- Atlanta, GA
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 11 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N825MHBoeing 767-432ER
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 3, 2010
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- FAA report
- 20091027051179I
- Case key
- 74973
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
Unforecasted turbulence resulting in a flight attendant being injured.
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
The passenger flight was descending into the airport terminal area from 34,000 feet mean sea level (msl), with the seat belt sign on. While the flight attendants were securing the galley, the airplane encountered turbulence. The pilot stated that the airplane encountered the turbulence somewhere between 10,000 and 18,000 feet msl. One of the flight attendants fell into another, causing the second flight attendant to hit her head and fracture a rib. The flight landed without further incident. After landing the airplane was met by paramedics at the gate, and the flight attendant was carried off the airplane. There was no significant meteorological information (SIGMET) issued prior to the event, and there was no damage to the airplane.
Factual narrative
The passenger flight was descending into the airport terminal area from 34,000 feet mean sea level (msl), with the seat belt sign on. While the flight attendants were securing the galley, the airplane encountered turbulence. The pilot stated that the airplane encountered the turbulence somewhere between 10,000 and 18,000 feet msl. One of the flight attendants fell into another, causing the second flight attendant to hit her head and fracture a rib. The flight landed without further incident. After landing the airplane was met by paramedics at the gate, and the flight attendant was carried off the airplane. There was no significant meteorological information (SIGMET) issued prior to the event, and there was no damage to the airplane.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N825MH
- Reported as
- Boeing 767-432ER
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 29703
- Airframe hours
- 34,611
- Engines
- GE CF6-80 SERIES, turbo jetGE CF6-80 SERIES, turbo jet
- 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 · February 27, 2009
- Departed
- LFPG · Parris
- Destination
- KATL · Atlanta, GA
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- KATL · Hartsfield Atlanta Iternationa, runway 08L, 9,000 × 150 ft, concrete
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
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- August 5, 2009
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,574 total · 7,591 in this make and model · 209 in the last 90 days · 9 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 47
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Commercial, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- April 14, 2009
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 10,334 total · 6,957 in this make and model · 178 in the last 90 days · 8 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Instrument (IMC) · Day
- Wind
- 100° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 0 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 400 ft overcast
- Temperature
- 55 °F, dew point 55 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.80 inHg
- Observed at
- KATL
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 4, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 755 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N825MH · 1
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.