Incident Details
During a descent into Detroit, an off-duty flight attendant sustained a broken ankle after the aircraft experienced an unanticipated patch of moderate turbulence. The captain reported that the seat belt sign was turned on and a passenger announcement was made regarding the likelihood of encountering turbulence prior to the event. Initial light turbulence was followed by moderate turbulence between 18,000 feet and 12,000 feet.
Crew Reports
The injured off-duty flight attendant provided the following account: "Just before the descent began into Detroit, several passengers went to the lavatory and returned with no difficulty. I chose to give all other passengers the opportunity to go before I did. The flight was continuing smoothly as I made my way from my seat on the right side of the exit row, aft to the lavatory. While returning to my seat, the aircraft began to encounter some moderate turbulence as is normal while descending. I held to the seat backs to support myself as I walked forward toward my seat. As I neared my seat, the aircraft encountered a severe pocket of air with absolutely no warning whatsoever. I was lifted into the air as the aircraft dipped, then falling to the floor of the cabin. I could tell immediately that my ankle was broken because of its angle, and the terrible pain."
Flight Data
A review of the flight data recorder data indicated that between 14,429 feet and 11,114 feet, the vertical acceleration of the airplane varied between 0.56 g's and 1.39 g's. The specific aircraft type, registration, operator, and other operational details were not included in the report.