Compass E175 near Reno on Aug 7th 2015, turbulence injures flight attendant

Last Update: March 15, 2016 / 15:48:58 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Aug 7, 2015

Classification
Report

Flight number
CP-5939

Aircraft Registration
N204NN

Aircraft Type
Embraer ERJ-175

ICAO Type Designator
E175

A Compass Airlines Embraer ERJ-175 on behalf of American Airlines, registration N204NN performing flight CP-5939/AA-5939 from Los Angeles,CA to Reno,NV (USA) with 62 passengers and 4 crew, was enroute nearing the top of descent when the captain illuminated the fasten seat belt signs and instructed the flight attendants to finalize service and take their seats due to turbulence ahead. The aircraft was descending towards Reno near South Lake Tahoe,CA (USA) when the aircraft encountered two separate turbulence events causing the aft flight attendant to be thrown against the cabin ceiling twice and landing back on the floor resulting in the fracture of her right ankle. The flight crew requested medical services to meet the aircraft upon arrival and continued for a safe landing in Reno. The injured flight attendant was taken to a hospital.

On Jan 28th 2016 the NTSB reported in their factual report that the aft flight attendant told the investigation that the main cabin service had already been completed and the cart had been stowed when the captain made the announcement to warn passengers and flight attendants of turbulence. The forward flight attendant had already finished collecting service items and went to the aft galley to assist her collegue in securing the galley, there was "a little rattling, nothing even close to needing to sit down." The turbulence subsided, both flight attendants continued to clear the galley, when the turbulence resumed throwing the aft flight attendant against the cabin ceiling with her head hitting the emergency exit sign, she fell back onto the floor. A few second later another turbulence encounter threw her again against the cabin ceiling, she fell back onto the floor, at which point two passengers helped her onto a jump seat. Intermittent turbulence continued for a few minutes, then the forward flight attendant was able to inform the cockpit that her collegue had been injured and was unable to continue duties. The flight attendant informed her company on Aug 8th 2015 that she had been diagnosed with the fracture of her right ankle.

The NTSB continued that the automated surface observation system at South Lake Tahoe Airport reported a cloud layer near 14,000 feet with lightning activity 25nm from the aerodrome. Weather services' upper air sounding detected an inversion layer between 16,000 and 17,000 feet, a conditionally stable atmosphere with potential for light to moderate turbulence. There were numerous pilot reports of light to moderate turbulence in the area, only one pilot report near Las Vegas,NV reported moderate to severe turbulence at 12,000 feet and lightning.

On Mar 15th 2016 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable cause of the accident was:

The airplane's encounter with moderate turbulence during descent, which resulted in a serious injury to a flight attendant who was not securely seated. Contributing to the accident was the flight attendant's decision to continue to secure items before the flight crew made an announcement that it was safe to continue with the service activities.
Aircraft Registration Data
Registration mark
N204NN
Country of Registration
United States
Date of Registration
Nldcpnpednmk Subscribe to unlock
Manufacturer
EMBRAER S A
Aircraft Model / Type
ERJ 170-200 LR
Number of Seats
ICAO Aircraft Type
E175
Year of Manufacture
Serial Number
Aircraft Address / Mode S Code (HEX)
Engine Count
Engine Manufacturer
Engine Model
Engine Type
Pounds of Thrust
Main Owner
AhdmmnmpnbgiikjjdcblijdfnilffcmmhqgpqnkidAhAhehjngqdepglkbkiniedfdkheikAlfAgfibm Subscribe to unlock
Incident Facts

Date of incident
Aug 7, 2015

Classification
Report

Flight number
CP-5939

Aircraft Registration
N204NN

Aircraft Type
Embraer ERJ-175

ICAO Type Designator
E175

This article is published under license from Avherald.com. © of text by Avherald.com.
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