On June 12, 2003, a Boeing MD-82 (registration N451AA) operated by American Airlines, Inc. was involved in an aviation accident near Fort Worth, TX. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The encounter with severe turbulence during descent, prior to the cabin crew taking their seats, which resulted in serious injury to two flight attendants. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive; 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.
A scheduled domestic flight encountered severe turbulence while descending to land, injuring two flight attendants who were stowing an auxiliary table before reaching their seats.
Incident Details
A scheduled domestic air carrier flight experienced severe turbulence while making a descent to land. The pilot had illuminated the seatbelt sign and made an announcement for the cabin crew to take their seats due to expected turbulence. Two aft cabin attendants went to the rear of the airplane to stow an auxiliary table and were proceeding to their seats when the turbulence began.
Injuries
One cabin attendant sustained a fractured right ankle, and the other sustained a fractured tibia.
Weather Conditions
The aviation weather report for the destination airport included thunderstorm and rain activity with frequent lightning.
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