# NTSB LAX03LA193: Boeing MD-82, N451AA, Fort Worth, TX, June 12, 2003 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: June 12, 2003, 04:47 local (09:47 UTC) - Place: Fort Worth, TX - Coordinates: 32.916667, -97.583335 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.9167&lon=-97.5833&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 2 serious, 132 uninjured - Status: Completed, report December 28, 2004 - Report: Approved by Office Director - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - NTSB case key (mKey): 57234 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=LAX03LA193 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/57234/pdf - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX03LA193 ## Probable cause The encounter with severe turbulence during descent, prior to the cabin crew taking their seats, which resulted in serious injury to two flight attendants. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, descent - normal - weather condition - turbulence(thunderstorms) (cause) ## Analysis The scheduled domestic air carrier flight encountered severe turbulence while making a descent to land, injuring two flight attendants. The pilot illuminated the seatbelt sign and made an announcement for the cabin crew to take their seats because of expected turbulence. The aft cabin attendants went to the rear of the airplane to stow an auxiliary table, and were proceeding to their seats when the turbulence began. One cabin attendant sustained a fractured right ankle, and the other sustained a fractured tibia. The aviation weather report for destination airport included thunderstorm and rain activity with frequent lightning. ## Factual narrative On June 12, 2003, at 0447 central daylight time, two cabin attendants sustained serious injuries when American Airlines Flight 2490, a Boeing MD-82, N491AA, encountered severe turbulence passing through 15,000 feet during descent into Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), Texas. American Airlines, Inc., was operating the airplane as a scheduled domestic passenger flight under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 121. The airline transport pilot licensed captain, first officer, 1 cabin attendant, and 129 passengers were not injured. The flight departed Los Angeles, California, at 0052 Pacific daylight time as a nonstop to DFW. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and an instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. According to American's flight safety department, the pilot had illuminated the seatbelt sign and had made an announcement for the cabin crew to take their seats because of expected turbulence. The aft cabin attendants went to the rear of the airplane to stow an auxiliary table, and were headed to their seats when the turbulence hit. One cabin attendant sustained a fractured right ankle, and the other sustained a fractured tibia. An aviation routine weather report (METAR) was issued at 0456 local time for Dallas/Fort Worth. It reported thunderstorm and rain activity with an overcast of cumulonimbus clouds at 11,000 feet mean sea level (msl). The remarks section of the observation included frequent lightning occurring inside the clouds, between the clouds and ground, and reaching from one cloud to another. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N451AA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N451AA-2013-06-14), registration cancelled 2013-06-14, S/N 49477, built 1987 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Boeing MD-82 - Registry model: [Mcdonnell Douglas DC-9-82(MD-82)](https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-dc-9-82-md-82) (registry code 3022082) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Pratt & Whitney JT8D series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-jt8d-series) (registry code 52053, turbo-jet) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 49477 - Engines: Pratt & Whitney JT8D 20000 lbs thrust turbo jet - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: American Airlines, Inc., doing business as American Airlines, Inc. - Registered owner: Wilmington Trust Co - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: LAX, Los Angeles, CA - Destination: DFW, Dallas/Ft Worth, TX - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: DFW, Dallas/Fort Worth Internationa ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 45; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: right; flight hours: 9,871 total, 9,845 in this make and model, 2,461 as pilot in command, 180 in the last 90 days, 57 in the last 30 days - Co-pilot; age 39; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; seat: right; flight hours: 957 total, 957 in this make and model, 125 in the last 90 days, 45 in the last 30 days ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/dark - Wind: 320° at 13 knots - Visibility: 6 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 11,000 ft broken - Temperature: 72 °F, dew point 64 °F - Altimeter: 29.79 inHg - Observed at: DFW, 35 nm away ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20030612036819A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20030612036819A), Jun 12, 2003: Doug DC982, Dallas-Ft Worth, TX. (-23) American airlines flight 2490 operating from lax-dfw, encountered severe turbulence while descent into dfw. The captain, first officer and 1 cabin… From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.