Incident Overview
A flight deviating around thunderstorm activity encountered turbulence while descending, resulting in injuries to two passengers who were in lavatories at the time. A company representative reported that before the descent from Flight Level 280 to Flight Level 240, an announcement was made that the FASTEN SEATBELT sign was on and that turbulence was expected during the descent.
Passenger Accounts
According to a written statement from the First Officer, after the turbulence was encountered, the flight crew contacted the purser via interphone. The purser reported that one passenger in a lavatory had an injury to the head, and a second passenger, also in a lavatory, had a broken ankle. The male passenger sustained a serious trimalleolar fracture of the left ankle, while the female passenger sustained a minor injury.
The male passenger stated that he had unfastened his seatbelt and proceeded to the lavatory at the rear of the airplane. He reported that the fasten seat belt sign was not illuminated when he left his seat, and that the flight deck had not issued any advisories while he was waiting for the lavatory. He indicated that while he was in the lavatory, the airplane encountered turbulence, leading to his injury. The female passenger, who sustained a minor injury, reported that she was in the lavatory when the airplane encountered turbulence.
Aftermath
No further details about the flight, aircraft, or other circumstances were provided in the investigation source.