- Date
- July 22, 2003, 14:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Wadsworth, OH
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 2 minor, 110 uninjured
- Damage
- No damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N504USBoeing 757-251
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 25, 2003
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 20030722019949A
- Case key
- 57584
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
An in-flight encounter with turbulence.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
While climbing through 29,000 feet, the airplane encountered unreported clear air turbulence. One flight attendant suffered a head injury and was admitted to a hospital for a period of more than 48 hours.
Factual narrative
On July 22, 2003, about 1400 eastern daylight time, a Boeing 757-251, N504US, operated by Northwest Airlines Inc. as flight 1142, was not damaged during an encounter with turbulence, while climbing near Wadsworth, Ohio. Two certificated airline transport pilots, one flight attendant, and 107 passengers were not injured. Two flight attendants sustained minor injuries, and one flight attendant sustained a serious injury. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that departed Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), Detroit, Michigan; destined for Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI), Baltimore, Maryland. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the scheduled air carrier flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 121.
The captain stated that the airplane was climbing through 29,000 feet, and encountered unreported "Code 4" clear air turbulence for approximately 30 seconds. The lead flight attendant reported that a flight attendant in the rear galley had suffered a head injury, and was bleeding. Another flight attendant suffered a possible broken finger, and a third flight attendant reported a sore neck.
The captain diverted the flight to Cleveland, Ohio, and landed uneventfully. The captain also noted that no passengers complained of any injury, and the seatbelt sign was illuminated.
The flight attendant that suffered a head injury was admitted to a local hospital for more than 48 hours for observation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N504US
- Reported as
- Boeing 757-251
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 23193
- Engine
- Pratt & Whitney PW2037, turbo fan
- Damage
- No damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Northwest Airlines Inc.
- Registered owner
- Wilmington Trust Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- DTW · Detroit, MI
- Destination
- BWI · Baltimore, MD
- 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
- 47
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1
- Flight hours
- 5,953 total · 1,990 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.