Southwest B737 near Oakland on Dec 1st 2011, turbulence injures three cabin crew
Last Update: October 30, 2013 / 17:36:33 GMT/Zulu time
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Dec 1, 2011
Classification
Accident
Cause
Turbulence
Airline
Southwest Airlines
Flight number
WN-1489
Departure
Albuquerque, United States
Destination
Oakland, United States
Aircraft Registration
N261WN
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
Airport ICAO Code
KOAK
The NTSB reported on Dec 17th 2011, that the aircraft was descending from FL400 through FL300 when the aircraft encountered turbulence while overflying Yosemite National Park. All three flight attendants were working in the galleys at that time, the flight attendant in the forward galley was thrown up and down, side to side with her feet leaving the floor, she was able to hold on a counter and secure herself into the forward jumpseat and didn't need to be taken to a hospital. The two flight attendants working in the aft galley were thrown around the aft galley and struck their heads and backs. Both were able to eventually secure themselves into their respective jumpseats, however both needed to be taken to hospital. One flight attendant was diagnosed with a serious injury (compression fracture of his vertebrae), the other with a minor injury.
On Oct 30th 2013 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable cause was:
The flight crew’s flight into known severe turbulence associated with mountain wave activity
The NTSB reported that the seatbelt signs were on at the time of the turbulence encounter. The FMC computed significantly increased windspeeds at FL300 compared to FL400. At FL300, about 10 seconds after the aircraft had levelled off, the aircraft encountered a speed increase from 0.760 to 0.865 mach associated with according pitch changes and yaw and began to encounter vertical fluctuations that culminated in maxima of -0.18G and +3.52G vertical acceleration within a period of 13 seconds.
Flight dispatch had planned that flight to enter the accident area at FL260 due to known turbulence activity associated with mountain wave activity.
At the time of turbulence encounter all three flight attendants were not seated. The flight crew could not recall whether they had instructed cabin crew to take seats before entering the known zone of turbulence. The flight had been generally turbulent, flight attendants had been seated several times during the flight.
At the accident area there were no visual indications of possible turbulence (e.g. cloud), visual meteorologic conditions prevailed.
Metars:
KOAK 020653Z 03015KT 10SM SCT200 16/M08 A3005 RMK AO2 SLP175 T01611083 $
KOAK 020553Z 35012KT 10SM FEW200 17/M08 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP179 T01671083 10194 20161 58005 $
KOAK 020453Z 34011KT 10SM FEW200 17/M08 A3006 RMK AO2 SLP180 T01671083 $
KOAK 020353Z 32008KT 10SM CLR 16/M07 A3009 RMK AO2 SLP188 T01611072 $
KOAK 020253Z 31009KT 10SM CLR 17/M08 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP185 T01721083 55001 $
KOAK 020153Z 33004KT 10SM CLR 18/M08 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP184 T01781083 $
KOAK 020053Z 34013G17KT 10SM FEW200 19/M09 A3007 RMK AO2 SLP181 T01891089 $
Aircraft Registration Data
Incident Facts
Date of incident
Dec 1, 2011
Classification
Accident
Cause
Turbulence
Airline
Southwest Airlines
Flight number
WN-1489
Departure
Albuquerque, United States
Destination
Oakland, United States
Aircraft Registration
N261WN
Aircraft Type
Boeing 737-700
ICAO Type Designator
B737
Airport ICAO Code
KOAK
This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
Article source
You can read 2 more free articles without a subscription.
Subscribe now and continue reading without any limits!
Read unlimited articles and receive our daily update briefing. Gain better insights into what is happening in commercial aviation safety.
Send tip
Support AeroInside by sending a small tip amount.
Related articles
Fleet type match
Southwest B38M at Albuquerque on Aug 27th 2026, engine shut down in flight
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-8 MAX, registration N8727M performing flight WN-595 from Albuquerque,NM to Las Vegas,NV (USA), was climbing out of…
Fleet type match
Southwest B738 near Charleston on Jul 20th 2026, suspected fuel leak
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-800, registration N8662F performing flight WN-4761 from Orlando,FL to Manchester,NH (USA), was enroute at FL370 about…
Fleet type match
Southwest B737 near Tampa on Apr 3rd 2024, turbulence causes two injuries
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N567WN performing flight WN-4273 from New Orleans,LA to Orlando,FL (USA) with 133 passengers and 7…
Southwest B737 at Austin on Jun 4th 2026, engine problems
A Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700, registration N7855A performing flight WN-375 from Austin,TX to Phoenix,AZ (USA), was climbing out of Austin's…
Southwest B737 near Tulsa on May 11th 2026, cracked windshield
A Southwest Boeing 737-700, registration N265WN performing flight WN-2665 from Albuquerque,NM to Baltimore,MD (USA), was enroute at FL370 about 80nm…
Newest articles
Gol B738 at Recife on Oct 5th 2026, engine compressor stalls
A Gol Transportes Aereos Boeing 737-800, registration PR-GXL performing flight G3-1587 from Recife,PE to Sao Paulo Guarulhos,SP (Brazil), was…
United B738 at Santa Ana on Oct 5th 2026, rejected takeoff due to smoke on board
A United Boeing 737-800, registration N78540 performing flight UA-653 from Santa Ana,CA to San Francisco,CA (USA), was accelerating for takeoff from…
Subscribe today
Are you researching aviation incidents? Get access to AeroInside Insights, unlimited read access and receive the daily newsletter.
Pick your plan and subscribePartner
ELITE Simulation Solutions is a leading global provider of Flight Simulation Training Devices, IFR training software as well as flight controls and related services. Find out more.
SafetyScan Pro provides streamlined access to thousands of aviation accident reports. Tailored for your safety management efforts. Book your demo today
AeroInside Blog
Popular aircraft
Airbus A320Boeing 737-800
Boeing 737-800 MAX
Popular airlines
American AirlinesUnited
Delta
Air Canada
Lufthansa
British Airways