Narrative:

While in cruise flight at FL290 and deviating at least 20 plus mi around WX painting light precipitation only, entered thin clouds and encountered severe turbulence for 3-5 seconds. Lost 300 ft of altitude during recover after autoplt disengaged. Continued on normally to destination with several minor injuries to passenger and crew. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: this first officer was flying the A300 when the aircraft encountered the turbulence. He said that the autothrottles and the autoplt kicked off when they had a sharp jolt and afterward he only had to descend 300 ft to get back on altitude. The first officer's injuries were minor and he flew back home, in the jumpseat, that night. Both of the rptrs rated the encounter as severe. Callback conversation with reporter of acn #308485 revealed the following information: the captain said that the turbulence caught him by surprise and he was temporarily completely disoriented. He said that he saw colors and this was a non-glass airplane. All of the flight crew were somewhat injured from striking portions of the flight station furnishings with the so the most seriously injured due to contact with the engineer's panel. The first officer did the recovery. The captain said that he was amazed at the debris in the cabin. A number of passenger were injured by broken glass from one of the serving carts that had come out of its storage area and thrown its contents throughout the cabin. The captain said that the flight crew had no control of the aircraft during the encounter, but the recovery was very smooth. The suspected thunderstorm had a flat top with cirrus around it and the bottom was slightly wedge shaped. There was very little wind at their altitude and the aircraft was slowed to turbulence penetration speed of .78 mach and the seat belt sign had been on for some time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LOSS OF ACFT CTL -- TURB-- AN ACR OVERWATER ENCOUNTERS SEVERE TURB, LOSS OF CTL AND NUMEROUS INJURIES TO OCCUPANTS.

Narrative: WHILE IN CRUISE FLT AT FL290 AND DEVIATING AT LEAST 20 PLUS MI AROUND WX PAINTING LIGHT PRECIPITATION ONLY, ENTERED THIN CLOUDS AND ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB FOR 3-5 SECONDS. LOST 300 FT OF ALT DURING RECOVER AFTER AUTOPLT DISENGAGED. CONTINUED ON NORMALLY TO DEST WITH SEVERAL MINOR INJURIES TO PAX AND CREW. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS FO WAS FLYING THE A300 WHEN THE ACFT ENCOUNTERED THE TURB. HE SAID THAT THE AUTOTHROTTLES AND THE AUTOPLT KICKED OFF WHEN THEY HAD A SHARP JOLT AND AFTERWARD HE ONLY HAD TO DSND 300 FT TO GET BACK ON ALT. THE FO'S INJURIES WERE MINOR AND HE FLEW BACK HOME, IN THE JUMPSEAT, THAT NIGHT. BOTH OF THE RPTRS RATED THE ENCOUNTER AS SEVERE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR OF ACN #308485 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE CAPT SAID THAT THE TURB CAUGHT HIM BY SURPRISE AND HE WAS TEMPORARILY COMPLETELY DISORIENTED. HE SAID THAT HE SAW COLORS AND THIS WAS A NON-GLASS AIRPLANE. ALL OF THE FLC WERE SOMEWHAT INJURED FROM STRIKING PORTIONS OF THE FLT STATION FURNISHINGS WITH THE SO THE MOST SERIOUSLY INJURED DUE TO CONTACT WITH THE ENGINEER'S PANEL. THE FO DID THE RECOVERY. THE CAPT SAID THAT HE WAS AMAZED AT THE DEBRIS IN THE CABIN. A NUMBER OF PAX WERE INJURED BY BROKEN GLASS FROM ONE OF THE SERVING CARTS THAT HAD COME OUT OF ITS STORAGE AREA AND THROWN ITS CONTENTS THROUGHOUT THE CABIN. THE CAPT SAID THAT THE FLC HAD NO CTL OF THE ACFT DURING THE ENCOUNTER, BUT THE RECOVERY WAS VERY SMOOTH. THE SUSPECTED TSTM HAD A FLAT TOP WITH CIRRUS AROUND IT AND THE BOTTOM WAS SLIGHTLY WEDGE SHAPED. THERE WAS VERY LITTLE WIND AT THEIR ALT AND THE ACFT WAS SLOWED TO TURB PENETRATION SPD OF .78 MACH AND THE SEAT BELT SIGN HAD BEEN ON FOR SOME TIME.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.