What happened
While crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Paris, France, to New York, New York, the aircraft encountered clear air turbulence. Prior to this encounter, the flight crew had been briefed on the potential for such turbulence. Approximately 30 to 45 minutes before the event, the seat belt sign was activated, and passengers were notified via announcements in both English and French to fasten their belts. A follow-up announcement was made roughly 10 minutes before the encounter.
At the time of the turbulence, meal service was being conducted in the main cabin, and the flight attendants were not in their seats. The sudden turbulence caused several unsecured passengers and flight attendants to be tossed about the cabin. Additionally, two seat belt fittings failed under the physical loads experienced during the event.
The investigation
A metallurgical examination was performed on the failed seat belt fittings. This analysis revealed that the failures were caused by intergranular failure. Following this discovery, a check of additional fittings was conducted, which confirmed that the remaining components met the specified metallurgy requirements.