What happened
On 2 August 2019, an Airbus A330-243, registration G-MLJL, was operating a commercial passenger flight from Varadero Airport, Cuba, to Manchester Airport. While navigating through cloud layers at FL370 and actively avoiding weather radar returns, the aircraft entered a region of denser cloud. Although the crew had previously activated the seat belt signs due to light turbulence, the aircraft suddenly encountered severe turbulence.
The encounter lasted roughly 90 seconds and caused the aircraft to climb 500 feet and the autopilot to disconnect. During the period of instability, the sound of hail hitting the nose of the aircraft was noted. One cabin crew member, who was attempting to secure a catering cart when the turbulence hit, had their foot and ankle trapped beneath the heavy equipment. Following the event, the aircraft continued to its destination after consultation with a medical advisory service.
The investigation
The investigation examined the flight crew's use of weather radar systems and the sequence of events leading to the injuries. It was noted that the crew had initially experienced issues with weather radar displays and had switched from System 1 to System 2 to better identify significant thunderclouds. During the subsequent hour of light to moderate turbulence, the second radar system failed, leaving the crew to rely on the degraded System 1 for the remainder of the flight.
Medical assessments confirmed that one crew member sustained a broken ankle, while a second crew member suffered bruising to the back and shoulders. Post-flight inspections of the aircraft identified minor surface damage to the radome.
Findings
- The turbulence encounter was rapid and unexpected, occurring despite the crew's efforts to avoid known cumulonimbus activity.
- The activation of the seat belt signs prior to the event likely prevented a higher number of injuries among the 320 passengers.
- The injury to the cabin crew member was caused by their foot becoming wedged under a catering cart while they were attempting to secure it during the onset of the turbulence.