Incident Overview
At approximately 1730, an enroute aircraft was cruising at flight level 330 when the pilot initiated a deviation to avoid thunderstorm activity. The fasten seat-belt sign was turned on, and the flight attendants were advised to secure their stations. During this maneuver, the flight encountered severe turbulence.
Sequence of Events
Earlier, at 1703:55, the enroute control center had reported hazardous weather conditions for the southeast United States in a convective SIGMET, issued several minutes before the flight encountered severe weather. The pilot’s actions to avoid the convective activity were taken in response to the conditions.
Weather Conditions
The convective SIGMET indicated hazardous weather in the region. The pilot’s deviation was aimed at avoiding thunderstorm activity, but severe turbulence was nonetheless experienced while maneuvering to avoid the storms.