MIA08CA065

NTSB accident investigation · Embraer EMB-145LR · Covington, KY · February 15, 2008

Accident · Serious injuriesData collectionFinal report
Date
February 15, 2008, 09:57 local (14:57 UTC)
Place
Covington, KY
Injuries
1 serious, 52 uninjured
Damage
No damage
Phase of flight
Enroute
Aircraft
N569RPEmbraer EMB-145LR
Defining event
Enroute-climb to cruise: Miscellaneous/other
Weather
Visual (VMC) · Day
Status
Completed · report March 31, 2008
Report
Approved by Office Director
Parties
Indianapolis FSDO
FAA report
20080215833199A
Case key
67551

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 attendant's inadvertent slip on the galley's contaminated floor and falling during climb to cruise.

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.

Physical workspaceEnvironmental issues › Task environment · Not specifiedEmbraer EMB-145LR: 2 casesAll aircraft: 5 cases

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 the Captain, "at about 11,000 feet, we received a call from our flight attendant, who stated that she was injured. She said that when she stood up from her flight attendant seat after 10,000 feet and was making her way back to the galley she slipped and fell. I inquired if she could still perform her duties, at which point she said that she could not. I proceeded to call dispatch and notified him of the incident and told him that we would return to the airport and he concurred. I requested medical assistance and after [I] did a passenger briefing about the incident and that we were returning to CVG." According to the Flight Attendant, she got out of her jumpseat after 10,000 feet to begin service. As she proceeded to the galley, she slipped and fell. The flight attendant said there was glycol on the floor, and she must have slipped on it. She had difficulty getting up. A passenger seated in 2A was able to assist her into seat 1A. Another passenger came forward and identified himself as a family physician and offered assistance. He had her apply ice to her ankle and got the interphone for her so she could notify the Captain. The flight attendant informed the Captain that she could not continue to work the flight. The captain made the decision to turn around and go back to CVG instead of continuing onto GSP. The captain made an announcement advising the passengers that she was injured and unable to continue and they would be returning to CVG. After landing, the Emergency Medical Service met the aircraft and carried her off the airplane. The passengers then deplaned back into the terminal. At the hospital, the flight attendant said the doctor informed her that her leg was broken in three places.

Factual narrative

According to the Captain, "at about 11,000 feet, we received a call from our flight attendant, who stated that she was injured. She said that when she stood up from her flight attendant seat after 10,000 feet and was making her way back to the galley she slipped and fell. I inquired if she could still perform her duties, at which point she said that she could not. I proceeded to call dispatch and notified him of the incident and told him that we would return to the airport and he concurred. I requested medical assistance and after [I] did a passenger briefing about the incident and that we were returning to CVG."

According to the Flight Attendant, she got out of her jumpseat after 10,000 feet to begin service. As she proceeded to the galley, she slipped and fell. The flight attendant said there was glycol on the floor, and she must have slipped on it. She had difficulty getting up. A passenger seated in 2A was able to assist her into seat 1A. Another passenger came forward and identified himself as a family physician and offered assistance. He had her apply ice to her ankle and got the interphone for her so she could notify the Captain. The flight attendant informed the Captain that she could not continue to work the flight. The captain made the decision to turn around and go back to CVG instead of continuing onto GSP. The captain made an announcement advising the passengers that she was injured and unable to continue and they would be returning to CVG. After landing, the Emergency Medical Service met the aircraft and carried the her off the airplane. The passengers then deplaned back into the terminal. At the hospital, the flight attendant said the doctor informed her that her leg was broken in three places.

Aircraft

Registration
N569RP
Reported as
Embraer EMB-145LR
Category
Airplane
Serial number
14500816
Airframe hours
9,943
Engines
Rolls-Royce AE3007A1P, 8,300 lbs thrust, turbo jetRolls-Royce AE3007A1P, 8,300 lbs thrust, turbo jet
Damage
No damage
Flight
Part 121
Registered owner
Chautauqua Airlines Inc
Airworthiness certificate
Standard, Transport
Last inspection
Continuous airworthiness · February 1, 2008
Departed
CVG · Covington, KY
Destination
GSP · Greenville, SC
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
31
Injuries
None
Certificate
Airline transport
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
August 1, 2007
Seat
Left
Flight hours
3,830 total · 2,620 in this make and model · 2,400 as pilot in command · 237 in the last 90 days · 52 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Role
Co-pilot
Age
26
Injuries
None
Certificate
Commercial
Airplane ratings
Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
Instrument ratings
Airplane
Medical
Class 1, With waivers/limitations
Last flight review
July 1, 2007
Seat
Rear
Flight hours
1,657 total · 637 in this make and model · 224 in the last 90 days · 49 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours

Weather

Conditions
Visual (VMC) · Day
Wind
300° at 9 knots
Visibility
8 statute miles
Lowest ceiling
1,900 ft broken
Temperature
37 °F, dew point 34 °F
Altimeter
30.22 inHg
Observed at
CVG

FAA reports on this event · 1

The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.