Ryanair B738 near Malta on Oct 15th 2019, turbulence injures flight attendant
Last Update: April 8, 2020 / 17:40:10 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Oct 15, 2019
Classification
Report
Airline
Ryanair
Flight number
FR-3901
Departure
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Destination
Malta, Malta
Aircraft Registration
EI-EMA
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-800
ICAO Type Designator
B738
Ireland's AAIU released their final factual report reporting that descending through FL165 the Static Air Temperature (SAT) decreased rapidly, the aircraft encountered a vertical acceleration of +2.02G followed by oscillations of +/- 1.3G for 26 seconds. Descending through FL157 the SAT increased and the accelerations became normal again. The autopilot remained engaged throughout the event.
The AAIB concluded the investigation with stating the facts, no analysis or conclusions were made. The AAIB however commented:
The Commander was aware that turbulent conditions would likely be encountered during the descent, due to Cb activity which was both observed and detected on the weather radar.
The passenger seat-belt sign was on and the CSS was also notified of possible turbulence during the descent. The Flight Crew deviated around the most significant weather with reduced bank angle and reduced speed before entering the cloud layer. Rapid changes in SAT are indicative of variability in local atmospheric conditions, and are associated with turbulence. The SAT dropped rapidly as the aircraft entered cloud coincident with turbulence. During the turbulence, vertical acceleration in excess of 2.0 g was recorded momentarily, and three Cabin Crew Members were knocked off balance and fell to the floor.
One crew member suffered injury as a result of the fall and occupied the No. 3 (aft) crew seat for the remainder of the flight. The injured crew member was brought to hospital on arrival at the destination.
The Investigation is of the opinion that the Commander took all reasonable steps to mitigate the effects of a likely turbulence encounter. While the Cabin Crew were made aware of the likelihood of turbulence, they were required to secure the cabin. While doing so, a momentary sudden and severe upset occurred. Apart from CCM No. 2, no other crew or passengers were reported injured during the encounter.
Aircraft Registration Data
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Oct 15, 2019
Classification
Report
Airline
Ryanair
Flight number
FR-3901
Departure
Birmingham, United Kingdom
Destination
Malta, Malta
Aircraft Registration
EI-EMA
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-800
ICAO Type Designator
B738
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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