2012 Boeing 737-800 Turbulence Incident Near Hof

Incident Overview and Flight Details On 5 July 2012, a Boeing 737-800 operated by a German airline was on approach to Frankfurt/Main Airport from Gaziantep, Turkey. The aircraft, which had a serial number of 32365 and was built in 2002, was descending at Flight Level 200 approximately 33 kilometers east-southeast of Hof. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was carrying 80 passengers and six crew members. ## Turbulence and Injury Around 13:00 local time, the aircraft was at Flight Level 230 and encountered turbulence. The seatbelt signs were illuminated due to expected turbulence, and flight attendants had checked that passengers were seated and belted. A 30-year-old flight attendant, who was seated in the right seat near the rear service door in the aft galley, was not yet belted when two consecutive turbulent events occurred. The second, stronger turbulence produced a vertical acceleration of -0.15 g, causing the flight attendant to be lifted from her seat. The seat folded, and she fell to the floor, fracturing her right femur. She was immobilized on the spot by her colleagues. ## Aircraft and Crew Information The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800, a low-wing monoplane with retractable tricycle landing gear, powered by two CFM International CFM56-7B26 engines. It had a maximum takeoff weight of 77,000 kg and had accumulated 37,287:35 flight hours and 17,141 landings by the date of the incident. The captain, a 35-year-old pilot, held a JAR-FCL air transport pilot license issued by the Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) on 17 December 1999, with type ratings for Boeing 737-300 to -900 and instrument rating valid until 31 March 2013. He had 7,167:39 hours on the type. The 28-year-old first officer held a JAR-FCL commercial pilot license issued on 8 December 2010, with similar type ratings and 354:10 hours on the type. Both pilots had flown 7:52 hours in the 9:55-hour duty period preceding the incident. ## Meteorological Conditions According to the German Weather Service (DWD), there were isolated thunderstorms with strong updrafts and downdrafts between Nuremberg and Hof at the time of the incident. Clouds extended from approximately Flight Level 50 to peaks at Flight Level 380. A weather warning for Nuremberg Airport, valid until 14:00, had been issued at 11:30, warning of isolated thunderstorms with southerly winds gusting to 30 knots and hail. ## Investigation and Outcome The incident was investigated by the German Federal Aviation Accident Investigation Office (BFU) under case number BFU 1X003-12. The flight data recorder, a Honeywell SSFDR, was available for analysis. The aircraft landed at Frankfurt/Main Airport at 13:43 local time without further incident. No fire occurred, and there was no damage to the aircraft or third-party property. The investigation was conducted in accordance with EU Regulation 996/2010 and the German Flight Accident Investigation Act (FlUUG), with the sole purpose of preventing future accidents and incidents.