Incident Overview
During cruise descent, an airplane encountered convectively induced turbulence (CIT). The event lasted approximately 4 seconds, with vertical accelerations ranging from a maximum of about 1.9g to a minimum of about 0.5g, as recorded by the Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR). The turbulence resulted in injuries to two flight attendants.
Flight Attendant Injuries
One flight attendant was located in the aft galley preparing for landing when the turbulence occurred. She reported hearing the captain say "prepare for landing" and then suddenly being lifted off the ground and slammed into the 4R door. This flight attendant sustained a fractured ankle.
The other injured flight attendant was near the aft lavatories, also preparing for landing. She stated that the airplane "hit some type of severe turbulence without warning" and that she was thrown to the floor. She suffered minor injuries to her shoulder, hip, foot, and lower back.
Data Analysis
Data from the aircraft's Digital Flight Data Recorder (DFDR) was extracted and analyzed. The recorded vertical accelerations were consistent with a convectively induced turbulence (CIT) event. The maximum vertical acceleration reached about 1.9g, while the minimum was about 0.5g during the approximately 4-second encounter.