# NTSB WPR11LA071: Boeing 767, N584HA, Pago Pago, Antarctica, December 3, 2010 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Serious injuries · Limited investigation · Final report - Date: December 3, 2010, 10:42 local (10:42 UTC) - Place: Pago Pago, Antarctica - Coordinates: -14.331388, -170.711395 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=-14.3314&lon=-170.7114&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Initial climb](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/350) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Initial climb: Turbulence encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360) - Highest injury: Serious injuries - Injuries: 1 serious, 2 minor, 181 uninjured - Status: Completed, report October 4, 2012 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Western Pacific Region - Parties: Federal Aviation Administration - CMO - NTSB case key (mKey): 77934 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=WPR11LA071 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/77934/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=77934 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/WPR11LA071 ## Probable cause The airplane’s encounter with convectively-induced turbulence, which resulted in serious injury to one flight attendant. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Turbulence: convective turbulence](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032020): Environmental issues › Conditions/weather/phenomena · Contributed to outcome (probable cause); cases with it: [Boeing 767-3G5, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032020/cases.md?model=1385126), [All aircraft, 145 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03032020/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Initial climb: Turbulence encounter](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360) (defining event); cases with it: [Boeing 767-3G5, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360/sequence.md?model=1385126), [All aircraft, 423 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/360/sequence.md) ## Analysis Shortly after departure, the airplane experienced what the captain described as three or four “jolts” of moderate turbulence. The captain reported clear skies with thunderstorms in the area. The seatbelt sign was illuminated in the cabin, and the passengers were in their seat. One flight attendant, who was in the aft cabin preparing a beverage cart, sustained serious injuries. The airplane continued to climb and the remainder of the flight was uneventful. The flight data recorder recorded vertical and lateral accelerations consistent with a turbulence encounter. According to the FDR, the disturbance lasted less than 10 seconds, and there was a change in wind speed and direction evident around that time period. Although no convective activity was noted at the accident location at the accident time, satellite imagery identified convective activity in the region. The airplane was ascending near a boundary defined by a significant decrease in atmospheric moisture. This type of boundary is conducive to the propagation of gravity waves and most likely contributed to the convectively-induced turbulence that the airplane encountered. ## Factual narrative On December 3, 2010, at 1042 Coordinated Universal Time (UTC), a Boeing 767-3G5, N584HA, encountered clear air turbulence at 18,000 feet (FL180) after departing Tafuna/Pago Pago International Airport (NSTU), Pago Pago, American Samoa. The certificated airline transport pilot captain, first officer, an additional pilot, 6 flight attendants, and 172 passengers were not injured; 1 flight attendant received serious injuries, and another flight attendant and 1 passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. International Lease Finance Corp., d.b.a. Hawaiian Airlines, operated the airplane under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121, as a passenger carrying flight. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight that was destined for Honolulu International Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii. According to Hawaiian Airlines, while on climb-out shortly after departure, the flight experienced four “jolts” of turbulence, characterized as moderate in intensity. The captain reported clear skies, with thunderstorms in the area. The captain further reported that the seatbelt sign was illuminated in the cabin, and the passengers were in their seat. The two flight attendants who were injured were in the aft cabin, preparing a beverage cart. The flight data recorder (FDR) was secured and sent to the National Transportation Safety Board laboratory for readout. According to the FDR data, approximately 8 minutes after takeoff, as the airplane was about to pass through 19,000 feet, the airplane experienced perturbations in the acceleration parameters. The vertical acceleration parameter increased to +1.59 g’s and within 2 seconds decreased to +0.66 g’s. Vertical acceleration increased again to record a maximum value of +1.75 g’s and then decreased to record a minimum value of +0.05 g’s 2 seconds later. The lateral acceleration parameter registered a minimum of -0.16 g’s and a maximum of +0.14 g’s over the same period. The disturbance lasted less than 10 seconds, and there was a change in wind speed and direction evident around that time period. The airplane continued to climb, and the remainder of the flight was uneventful. According to satellite imagery, there was convective activity in the area; however, the location where the turbulence was encountered was free of convective activity. According to the staff’s meteorologist report (attached to the public docket), the airplane was ascending through/near a boundary defined by significant decrease in atmospheric moisture. These types of boundaries are conducive to the propagation of gravity waves. These waves can be generated by convection, which was occurring near the accident location. No radar data was available for the area at the time of the accident. There were no AIRMET’s or SIGMET’s for the time of the accident. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N584HA](https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N584HA-2013-12-17), registration cancelled 2013-12-17, S/N 24258 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: BOEING 767 (3G5) - Registry model: [Boeing 767-3G5](https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-767-3g5) (registry code 1385126) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 24258 - Engines: P & W 4060 60200 lbs thrust turbo fan - Damage: No damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: International Lease Finance Corp, doing business as Hawaiian Airlines - Registered owner: International Lease Finance Corp - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: STU, American Samoa - Destination: HNL, Honolulu, HI - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: STU, Tafuna/Pago Pago Internl Airpo ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 51; injuries: none; commercial, flight instructor, airline transport, flight engineer; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; seat: left; flight hours: 16,302 total, 5,800 in this make and model, 5,000 as pilot in command, 250 in the last 90 days, 80 in the last 30 days, 11 in the last 24 hours - Co-pilot; injuries: none; airline transport, flight engineer, commercial; airplane ratings: single-engine land, multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; seat: right ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Night - Wind: 70° at 4 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 22,000 ft broken - Temperature: 21 °F - Altimeter: 29.92 inHg - Observed at: NSTU, 100 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 20101203053579A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20101203053579A), Dec 3, 2010: Boeing 767-3G5, Honolulu, HI, No damage. Aircraft climbing through flight level 180 encountered clear air turbulence resulting in 2 flight attendant injuries, one minor (facial contusions) and one… ## Docket (6 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on August 7, 2012, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=77934. 7.2 MB in all. - Meteorology 5 - Weather Study (item 1, .PDF, 3.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40345595&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Meteorology%205%20-%20Weather%20Study-Master.PDF - Flight Data Recorder 10 - Specialist's Factual Report (item 2, .PDF, 84 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40359636&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Flight%20Data%20Recorder%2010%20-%20Specialist%27s%20Factual%20Report-Master.PDF - Flight Data Recorder 10 - Attachment 1 WPR11LA071 FDR Tabular (item 3, .CSV, 200 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40359637&FileExtension=.csv&FileName=Flight%20Data%20Recorder%2010%20-%20Attachment%201%20WPR11LA071%20FDR%20Tabular-Master.csv - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 4, .PDF, 618 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40374310&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Captain Statement (item 5, .PDF, 143 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40374311&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Captain%20Statement-Redacted.PDF - Flight Attendant Statements (item 6, .PDF, 2.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40374312&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Flight%20Attendant%20Statements-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.