Incident Overview
During an approach to Miami International Airport, a flight encountered severe turbulence while descending through 12,300 feet. The event was recorded by the onboard flight data recorder, which captured the dynamics of the encounter.
Weather Conditions
Weather studies conducted after the incident indicated that the aircraft was operating in at least moderate thunderstorm activity at the time. Additionally, the flight was near an area of very heavy or Level 4 thunderstorm activity, suggesting the presence of strong convective weather.
Flight Data
The flight recorder data revealed that the peak G forces were experienced approximately 40 seconds after the initial turbulence encounter. Over a three-second period, the forces ranged from 1.5 G to -0.5 G, indicating significant vertical accelerations.