# NTSB NYC02LA088: Boeing 767-224, N68160, Atlantic Ocean, April 22, 2002 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: April 22, 2002, 02:30 local (06:30 UTC) - Place: Atlantic Ocean - Coordinates: 19.66361, -66.126113 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=19.6636&lon=-66.1261&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Enroute](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/400) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 2 minor, 119 uninjured - Status: Completed, report May 30, 2003 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB case key (mKey): 54565 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=NYC02LA088 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/54565/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54565 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/NYC02LA088 ## Probable cause The airplane's inadvertent encounter which clear air turbulence during cruise flight. ## Sequence of events In NTSB's coding before 2008 (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). - In flight encounter with weather, cruise - normal - weather condition - turbulence,clear air (cause) ## Analysis The airplane was in cruise flight at flight level 360, over the Atlantic Ocean, about 75 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it encountered turbulence. One flight attendant sustained a serious injury, and one flight attendant and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The flight continued to its destination and landed without further incident. Review of National Weather Service Weather Surveillance Radar revealed echoes along the airway where the turbulence event occurred; which implied that the turbulent event was likely associated with a Convective Induced Turbulence (CIT) encounter related to the airflow associated with cumulonimbus activity, and possibly above and downwind of the cumulonimbus cloud tops. ## Factual narrative On April 22, 2002, about 0230 eastern daylight time, a Boeing 767-224, N68160, operated by Continental Airlines Inc, as flight 30, encountered turbulence while in cruise flight over the Atlantic Ocean, about 75 miles north of San Juan, Puerto Rico. Three airline transport rated flight crew members, 110 passengers, and 6 flight attendants were not injured; however, 1 flight attendant sustained a serious injury, and 1 flight attendant and 1 passenger sustained minor injuries. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Sao Paulo, Brazil, destined for the Newark International Airport (EWR), Newark, New Jersey. The scheduled passenger flight was conducted under 14 CFR Part 121. According to a representative of Continental Airlines, the flight crew reported that the airplane was in cruise flight at flight level 360, on the "A-300 airway, between DDP and LENNT," when the airplane encountered clear air turbulence. In a written statement, the pilot-in-command (PIC) said he was seated in the captain's seat, when the international relief officer (IRO) relieved the first officer as the flying pilot. Shortly thereafter, the airplane was "in turbulence and red lights were flashing, indicating mach overspeed." The PIC immediately took control of the airplane, reduced the power to idle and disconnected the autopilot. Additionally, he stated that the seat belt sign was "on" and the disruption from smooth flight lasted "maybe 3 seconds, but was quite startling." The flight continued to EWR, and landed without further incident. The airplane was equipped with a Fairchild L-3 Communications digital flight data recorder (DFDR). Examination of the DFDR by a Safety Board Vehicle Recorder Specialist's revealed the airplane experienced a vertical acceleration which ranged between +1.66 and -0.19 g's during the turbulence event. According to a to Safety Board's Meteorological Study prepared for this accident: The National Weather Service (NWS) tropical weather discussion issued at 0200, indicated that the middle and upper level synoptic features consisted of a cyclonic circulation center located near 160 miles north of the Dominican Republic. A trough of low pressure extended from the circulation center to just south of Jamaica. Dry air and subsidence was indicated north and northwest of the immediate vicinity of the turbulence event. The closest NWS Weather Surveillance Radar-1988, Doppler (WSR-88D) was located in southern Puerto Rico. Review of the base reflectivity image taken at 0244 depicted several bands of convection oriented in a northeast to southwest direction extending west through northeast of the island, with another area east through southeast. The band north of Puerto Rico had a maximum echo of 54 decibels (dBZ) with other echoes ranging from 15 to 49 dBZ. The echoes covered the airway where the turbulence event occurred; which implied that the turbulent event was likely associated with a Convective Induced Turbulence (CIT) encounter related to the airflow associated with cumulonimbus activity, and possibly above and downwind of the cumulonimbus cloud tops. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N68160](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N68160-2014-07-21), registration cancelled 2014-07-21, S/N 30439, built 2001 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: Boeing 767-224 - Registry model: [Boeing 767-224](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-767-224) (registry code 1385170) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [GE CF6-80 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/ge-cf6-80-series) (registry code 30025, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 30439 - Airframe hours: 2076 - Engines: General Electric CF6-80C2B4F 56500 lbs thrust turbo fan; General Electric CF6-80C2B4F 56500 lbs thrust turbo fan - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Registered owner: Continental Airlines Inc - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, March 23, 2002, 381 hours before - Departed: GRU, Sao Paulo - Destination: EWR, NEWARK, NJ - Flight plan: IFR ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 53; injuries: none; flight engineer, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine sea, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; last flight review December 6, 2001; seat: left; flight hours: 13,200 total, 1,000 in this make and model, 1,200 as pilot in command, 245 in the last 90 days, 75 in the last 30 days, 10 in the last 24 hours - Co-pilot; age 43; injuries: none; airline transport, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--no waivers/lim.; last flight review January 12, 2001; seat: right; flight hours: 22,000 total, 6,000 in this make and model, 6,000 as pilot in command, 155 in the last 90 days, 84 in the last 30 days, 10 in the last 24 hours - Other flight crew; age 36; injuries: none; flight engineer, airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, valid medical--w/ waivers/lim; seat: right; flight hours: 11,500 total, 6 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night/bright - Wind: 60° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 13,000 ft overcast - Temperature: 79 °F, dew point 73 °F - Altimeter: 29.92 inHg - Observed at: TJSJ, 74 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). - [Incident 20020422018169I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20020422018169I), Apr 22, 2002: Boeing 767224, Newark, NJ, No damage. (-23) On April 22, 2002, approximately 0230 EDT, a Boeing 767-224, N68160, encountered turbulence while at FL360 in cruise flight over the atlantic ocean,… ## Docket (5 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on December 11, 2002, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=54565. 2.0 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 577 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40433824&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Flight Crew and Dispatcher Statements (item 2, .PDF, 205 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40433825&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Flight%20Crew%20and%20Dispatcher%20Statements-Redacted.PDF - Flight Data Recorder Factual Report (item 3, .PDF, 175 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40433826&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Flight%20Data%20Recorder%20Factual%20Report-Redacted.PDF - Meteorology Study (item 4, .PDF, 925 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40170823&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Meteorology%20Study-Master.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation (item 5, .PDF, 75 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40433827&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation-Redacted.PDF 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.