What happened
During a flight, the aircraft encountered moderate in-flight turbulence. Prior to the encounter, the captain activated the seat belt sign and provided instructions to the in-flight director and the flight engineer. The captain specifically instructed the flight engineer to ensure all cabin attendants were seated.
Approximately three minutes before the turbulence occurred, the flight engineer briefed the forward cabin attendant regarding anticipated turbulence and requested that she brief the remaining cabin crew members. After securing a portion of her galley, the forward cabin attendant briefed only the mid-galley crew. She operated under the assumption that the in-flight director had notified the rest of the crew.
Because the cabin attendants in the aft galley had not received the briefing, their beverage carts remained unsecured. When the cockpit issued the call to sit due to the turbulence, the lack of preparation resulted in one injury to an aft cabin attendant.
Findings
The investigation determined that the communication chain was broken. While the flight engineer initiated the warning process, the instruction did not reach the aft section of the cabin. The in-flight director noted that by the time the cockpit provided the official notification to sit, the turbulence had already commenced, making it too late for the unsecured carts and crew to be stabilized.
Following the event, the carrier implemented changes to their operations manuals, specifically updating crew notification and procedures for turbulence encounters and other in-flight emergencies.