- Date
- September 29, 2011, 16:27 local (20:27 UTC)
- Place
- Miami, FL
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 165 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N804NNBoeing 737-823
- Defining event
- Enroute-descent: Clear air turbulence encounter
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 8, 2012
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Case key
- 81941
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 in-flight encounter with clear air turbulence, which resulted in an injury to a cabin attendant.
Findings · 2
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
According to crew statements, the airplane was descending through about 16,000 feet mean sea level in clear air when it encountered two jolts of turbulence that did not damage the airplane but resulted in a flight attendant being lifted off the deck and hitting the ceiling, then being thrown to the floor and breaking her ankle. The flight attendant was in the galley preparing for landing, and the seat belt sign was illuminated. The captain had previously deviated for weather, and the airplane was operating between cloud buildups at the time. The captain also noted that the air was relatively smooth, and that radar returns indicated that the airplane was more than 20 miles from any significant weather.
Factual narrative
According to crew statements, the airplane was descending through approximately 16,000 feet in clear air when it encountered two jolts that did not damage the airplane, but resulted in a flight attendant being lifted off the deck and hitting the ceiling, then being thrown to the floor and breaking her ankle. The flight attendant was in the galley preparing for landing, and the seat belt sign was illuminated. The captain had previously deviated for weather, and the airplane was operating between cloud buildups at the time. The captain also noted that the air was relatively smooth, and that radar returns indicated that the airplane was greater than 20 miles from any significant weather.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N804NN
- Reported as
- Boeing 737-823
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 29567
- Engines
- CFM Intl CFM56-7B24/3, 22,800 lbs thrust, turbo fanCFM Intl CFM56-7B24/3, 22,800 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- American Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- LIR · Liberia
- Destination
- MIA · Miami, FL
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- MIA · Miami International
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
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 52
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Last flight review
- August 11, 2010
- Flight hours
- 6,262 total · 2,104 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 25, 2012, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 458 KB in all.