ACR DISPATCHER FAILED TO NOTIFY FAA AND NTSB IN A TIMELY MANNER OF SERIOUS PAX INJURIES.
Synopsis
ACR DISPATCHER FAILED TO NOTIFY FAA AND NTSB IN A TIMELY MANNER OF SERIOUS PAX INJURIES.
Narrative
I WAS THE DISPATCHER ON DUTY FROM XA30 THROUGH XB30 LCL AT JFK ACR FLT CTL CTR. AT XC41 ACR FLT WDB (PAX VERSION) CALLED TO INFORM THAT THEY HAD EXPERIENCED SEVERE AIR TURBULENCE FOR 5 SECONDS AROUND SYDNEY AREA; CANADA; ENRTE PARIS/ORLY TO JFK. 1 PAX WAS INJURED (ELDERLY LADY; WHO I LATER FOUND HAD SUFFERED 8 BROKEN RIBS) AND 2 FLT ATTENDANTS SUFFERING BACK ACHE; NECK ACHE AND 1 STRAINED ANKLE. FLT LANDED SAFELY AT JFK PER SCHEDULE. PLT HAS MADE RPT. NO INDICATION OF SEVERE AIR TURB WAS SHOWN ON WX CHARTS OR PIREPS. CHARTS SHOWED MODERATE AND PIREPS RPTED MODERATE CHOPS. ATC KNEW ABOUT ABOVE BUT DIDN'T ADVISE FLTS AS THEY THOUGHT IT ALREADY COMMON. MY MISTAKE WAS I CALLED FAA 24 HRS AFTER OCCURRENCE OF INCIDENT INSTEAD OF CALLING THEM IMMEDIATELY. THAT WAS BECAUSE MY VICE PRESIDENT OF OPS; WHO WAS IMMEDIATELY NOTIFIED; SAID HE WOULD CALL BOTH FAA AND NTSB. NEXT DAY; I FOUND OUT THE RPT HAD STILL NOT BEEN MADE. I CALLED FAA FSDO AND NTSB OFFICE; BUT THE PHONES OF NTSB DID NOT ANSWER IN SPITE OF MY REPEATEDLY TRYING TO GET THROUGH. RPTS (I AM NOT SURE WRITTEN OR VERBAL) HAVE BEEN MADE TO BOTH FAA AND NTSB.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.