Incident Overview
An airplane was being vectored for a night instrument approach in visual meteorological conditions when it encountered severe turbulence. The weather radar indicated some thunderstorms to the north of the flight, but the ride had been smooth prior to the turbulence event. There were no other aircraft in the area at the time.
Flight Data Recorder Details
The airplane's flight data recorder (FDR) revealed a gradual increase in vertical accelerations during a 15-second period. In the following 15 seconds, the aircraft experienced a series of jolts, including four vertical accelerations measuring approximately 2.0 positive g's and three registering 0.5 negative g's. Vertical accelerations continued over the next 75 seconds, with eight exceeding 1.5 positive g's and two registering about 0.0 g. Additionally, lateral and longitudinal accelerations were noted, corresponding in time with the vertical accelerations.
Conditions
The encounter occurred during nighttime, while the aircraft was on an instrument approach. Despite the presence of thunderstorms to the north, conditions were visual meteorological with no reported precipitation or lightning at the aircraft's location prior to the turbulence.