Incident Overview
Eastern Airline Flight 791 encountered turbulence while cruising at an altitude of 31,000 feet. The aircraft was passing through the overhang of a thunderstorm, a maneuver that was contrary to the airline's flight operations procedures.
Injuries and Fatalities
Three passengers sustained serious injuries. One of these passengers, an 84-year-old, died 20 days after the accident. The medical examiner attributed the cause of death to aspiration pneumonia and pneumothorax due to blunt trauma resulting from the turbulence encounter. The examiner also noted that occlusive coronary atherosclerosis contributed to the death. Additionally, 23 passengers received minor injuries.
Circumstances of Injuries
According to flight attendants, all injured passengers were either standing in the aisle or lavatories or were seated without wearing seat belts. The seat belt sign had been illuminated since departure. Before departure, flight attendants had briefed passengers to remain seated with their seat belts fastened while the seat belt light was on. However, flight attendants indicated that they had not enforced the seat belt instruction.
Safety Procedures
The flight's operation through the thunderstorm overhang was not in compliance with the company's established flight operations procedures. The incident highlights the importance of adhering to operational guidelines and enforcing seat belt instructions during flight.