SEVERE TURB. INJURIES.
Synopsis
SEVERE TURB. INJURIES.
Narrative
AT APPROX 180 NM W OF DUTCH HARBOR; FL330; MACH .83 IN VFR CONDITIONS WE EXPERIENCED A FEW BUMPS OF LIGHT TO MODERATE CHOP. I TURNED ON THE FASTEN SEAT BELT SWITCH. APPROX 1 MIN LATER WE SUDDENLY ENCOUNTERED SEVERAL SEVERE BUMPS OF TURB. I IMMEDIATELY TURNED ON THE NO SMOKING SWITCH AND FO TURNED ON IGNITION OVERRIDE. THE ACFT BANKED L; PITCHED DOWN; AIRSPD INCREASED AND THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECTED SIMULTANEOUSLY. THIS TURB LASTED A FEW SECONDS; THE AIR SMOOTHED OUT FOR A FEW SECONDS AND WE THEN ENCOUNTERED ANOTHER SERIES OF SEVERE BUMPS FOR A FEW SECONDS CAUSING THE ATTITUDE; AIRSPD AND ALT TO BE DIFFICULT TO MAINTAIN. WHEN THE AUTOPLT DISCONNECTED; I HAND FLEW THE ACFT AND MAINTAINED A GENERAL ATTITUDE OF WINGS AND NOSE LEVEL WITHOUT APPLYING ANY ABRUPT OR HVY CTL INPUTS. WHEN THE AIRSPD INITIALLY INCREASED TO NEAR MMO; WE SLOWED TO MACH .80. WHEN THE AIR BECAME SMOOTH; I ENGAGED THE AUTOPLT. WE CHKED THE ENG INSTS AND ALL ACFT SYS. EVERYTHING INDICATED NORMAL. WHEN THE FIRST SEVERE BUMPS OCCURRED; FO IMMEDIATELY ATTEMPTED TO CONTACT ANCHORAGE RADIO; BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. HE THEN BROADCAST OUR POS AND FLT CONDITIONS ON THE AIR TO AIR FREQ. AFTER THINGS STABILIZED; HE WAS ABLE TO CONTACT ANCHORAGE ATC ON ANOTHER FREQ AND MAKE A RPT. I CHKED WITH #1 FLT ATTENDANT ABOUT THE CABIN. SHE RPTED 3 FLT ATTENDANTS AND 1 PAX INJURED. SHE ALSO RPTED THAT SEVERAL OVERHEAD BINS HAD COME OPEN AND SOME CONTENTS HAD BEEN THROWN OUT. LATER FLT ATTENDANT GAVE ME THE LIST OF INJURED FLT ATTENDANTS AND 1 PAX. FLT ATTENDANT REQUESTED THAT PARAMEDICS MEET THE FLT AT DFW TO CHK PAX BEFORE SHE CONTINUED ON HER THROUGH FLT. I WALKED THROUGH THE CABIN AND TALKED WITH FLT ATTENDANT. FROM HER RPT OF THE INJURIES; I MADE THE DECISION THAT THE INJURIES WERE NOT SEVERE ENOUGH TO LAND. I THEN MADE A RPT TO FORT WORTH DISPATCH BY ACARS REQUESTING PARAMEDICS MEET THE ACFT AT DFW. DISPATCHER SENT A MESSAGE BACK BY ACARS REQUESTING WE CONTACT HIM BY PHONE PATCH. I DID THIS AND ADVISED HIM THAT WE WERE CONTINUING TO DFW BECAUSE INJURIES DID NOT APPEAR SEVERE ENOUGH TO LAND ENRTE AND ALL ENGS AND SYS WERE NORMAL. I ALSO REQUESTED A PSM MEET THE ACFT. WE WROTE THE ENCOUNTER WITH SEVERE TURB IN THE ACFT LOGBOOK SO THE ACFT WOULD BE INSPECTED AT DFW. THE FLT CONTINUED AND LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. PARAMEDICS TOOK PAX TO THE HOSPITAL AND FLT ATTENDANT SUPVRS MET THE ACFT AND TALKED TO THE INJURED FLT ATTENDANTS.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.