A319 FLT CREW ENCOUNTERS B777 WAKE TURBULENCE ON APCH TO SFO RESULTING IN A FLT ATTENDANT INJURY.

Date: 2008-08 · Aircraft: A319 · Phase: approach

Anomalies: inflight-event-encounter-wake-vortex-encounter

Synopsis

A319 FLT CREW ENCOUNTERS B777 WAKE TURBULENCE ON APCH TO SFO RESULTING IN A FLT ATTENDANT INJURY.

Narrative

WE WERE ON THE ILS RWY 28R TO SFO FOLLOWING A HEAVY FLT; A B777 WE BELIEVE. WE WERE APPROX 7 MILES IN TRAIL. WE WERE CLEARED THE APCH AND THE CAPT ASKED ME TO STAY ABOVE THE GS FOR WAKE TURBULENCE. I WAS BELOW IT ON ABOUT 15 MILE FINAL; BUT PROCEEDED TO CORRECT ABOVE IT. WE WERE ASKED TO LEVEL AT 3000 FT FOR TFC. WE DID AND THIS BROUGHT US WELL ABOVE THE GS. WHEN AGAIN CLEARED FOR THE APCH; I INITIATED AN OPEN DSCNT TO RECAPTURE THE GS. SHORTLY AFTER INITIATING THIS DSCNT AND STILL WELL ABOVE THE GLIDE PATH; I WOULD ESTIMATE AT 2700-2800 FT; THE ACFT ABRUPTLY ROLLED L. I IMMEDIATELY DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND CORRECTED BACK TO LEVEL. WE BOTH ASSUMED IT WAS WAKE TURBULENCE FROM THE B777 AHEAD; DUE TO THE SUDDENNESS; SEVERITY; AND FEEL OF THE ENCOUNTER. WE BOTH COMMENTED ON THE FACT THAT WE WERE ABOVE THE GLIDE PATH WHEN WE ENCOUNTERED IT; WHICH SEEMED STRANGE. ALTHOUGH THE WAKE ENCOUNTER WAS FAIRLY AGGRESSIVE; NEITHER OF US THOUGHT TO CALL THE BACK TO CHECK FOR INJURIES AND NO CALL CAME FROM THE FLT ATTENDANTS. WE LANDED ON RWY 28R WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT. WE WERE NOT TOLD OF ANY INJURIES BY ANY OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS ON OUR ARR. BOTH THE CAPT AND MYSELF WENT TO OPS TO FLT PLAN OUR NEXT LEG TO ZZZ. ON RETURN TO THE SAME GATE FOR OUR DEP TO ZZZ; THE CAPT SAW THE FLT ATTENDANT CREW FROM OUR PREVIOUS ARR AND LEARNED THAT ONE OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT HAD SUSTAINED AN INJURY TO HIS SHOULDER. NEITHER OF US KNEW ABOUT THIS UNTIL WE RETURNED TO THE GATE AREA.

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Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.