History of the Flight
On 6 May 2016, an Airbus A330-223 aircraft registered B-LNE, operated by Hong Kong Airlines, was conducting scheduled passenger flight CRK6704 from I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport, Bali, to Hong Kong International Airport. The aircraft departed at 1749 UTC in night conditions with 216 occupants on board: 2 pilots, 10 flight attendants, and 204 passengers.
At 1823 UTC, the flight reached Flight Level 410 (41,000 feet). The pilots observed lightning near the flight track, and the Pilot in Command (PIC) activated the seatbelt sign for the remainder of the flight. The weather radar displayed a clear path between two buildup cloud cells approximately 40 to 60 nautical miles apart to the right of the flight direction. The flight crew decided to fly toward that clear path.
Turbulence Encounter
While navigating between the two buildup cloud cells, the aircraft encountered light turbulence. The pilots then observed magenta color on the weather radar display about 5 nautical miles ahead. The Pilot Flying (PF) chose to continue straight, as the buildup cloud cells remained on the left and right of the track. At 1834 UTC, the flight experienced severe turbulence lasting approximately one minute.
Injuries and Damage
Three flight attendants and 12 passengers sustained injuries during the event. The aircraft sustained minor damage, including several damaged passenger service units and a damaged aft galley ceiling.
Post-Event Actions
Following the turbulence encounter, the flight crew decided to return to Bali. The aircraft landed at 2029 UTC. The injured occupants were taken for medical care.