- Date
- September 28, 1987, 15:43 local (19:43 UTC)
- Place
- Bermuda, Bermuda
- Injuries
- 1 serious, 39 minor, 99 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N317EALockheed L-1011
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report November 15, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19870928066129A
- Case key
- 30519
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
Encounter with undetectable clear air 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
The aircraft was cruising at FL310 en route between puerto rico and new york when it encountered clear air turbulence. Several passengers and flight attendants were thrown about the cabin of the aircraft. One flight attendant received a broken wrist. The flight diverted to Bermuda where the injured passengers were treated and released. The flight crew said they were operating in cirro-stratus clouds at the time of the occurrence and no echoes were being shown on the airborne radar. The seatbelt sign was illuminated at the time of the occurrence and the captain said in an interview that his normal procedure was to keep the sign on at all times.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N317EA
- Reported as
- Lockheed L-1011
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 193A-1038
- Airframe hours
- 35,499
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce RB211/228, 42,000 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Eastern Airlines
- Registered owner
- Eastern Airlines Inc.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · May 10, 1987
- Departed
- SJU · San Juan, PR
- Destination
- JFK · Jamaica, NY
- Flight plan
- IFR
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 56
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine sea
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 13,555 total · 786 in this make and model · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Temperature
- -0 °F, dew point -0 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.