Narrative:

We reached cruise altitude. First beverage service had been completed. Movie had been started. We were approximately 1 hour into flight. Turbulence had not been a problem. We (the flight attendants in the coach cabin) had just pulled the beverage cart and meal carts to the forward of coach on both sides and had begun serving the meal with beverages. The fasten seatbelt sign was still on from a previous mild turbulence event, prior to starting the meal service. We had served passenger in the forward few rows, and suddenly the plane seemed to have dropped -- lost altitude suddenly. The carts went up to the top of the inside cabin 2 times. The severe event lasted about 15-20 seconds. After the event ended, I checked my immediate area to see if there were any injuries -- there were none, except for food and liquids that were spilled. Nothing hot spilled on the passenger in my immediate area. The flight attendants immediately started checking the cabin for injuries. There were approximately 15 passenger that did not have their belts fastened and had head and neck injuries -- from hitting the panels above their head. The captain diverted the aircraft to bermuda, which was approximately 30 mins after the incident. Passenger and 2 injured crew members were triaged, and those more severe, taken to local hospital for further evaluation. No passenger had critical or life threatening injuries. Passenger were then reboarded onto another aircraft, and continued on to ccs. No passenger had to remain in hospital overnight. Callback conversation with reporter acn 444396 revealed the following information: this secondary reporter stated that the injured passenger and flight attendants were all taken to a hospital for treatment, and all but one were released in time to go on the continuation of the flight 3 hours later. They used another airplane, because theirs was a mess and their airline happened to have an empty plane sitting in bermuda overnight, so they used that one. 1 passenger stayed behind in the hospital in bermuda. The flight attendants that were injured were working in the mid cabin, and not as expected, in the back of the aircraft. Supplemental information from acn 444397: seatbelt sign had been on the entire time and numerous announcements were made in both english and spanish. Most injuries were a result of people hitting the ceiling. Some passenger even left indentations in the aircraft interior from where their heads hit. The 2 injured crew members were injured by the impact on the ceiling and floor and by the meal cart landing on one crew member's foot. The rest of the crew had minor injuries (mainly bruises and some slight back/neck pain). First officer came back to inspect the aircraft, we diverted to bda. Callback conversation with reporter acn 444397 revealed the following information: reporter stated the impact of the carts landing flattened the carts so that they were bulging out and too wide to be stored in the galley slots. The passenger that remained in the hospital was kept because of previous heart problems.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLT ATTENDANT RPTS, B767-200, JFK-CCS, CLR AIR TURB, FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX INJURIES, DIVERT TO BERMUDA FOR MEDICAL. FLT CANCELED.

Narrative: WE REACHED CRUISE ALT. FIRST BEVERAGE SVC HAD BEEN COMPLETED. MOVIE HAD BEEN STARTED. WE WERE APPROX 1 HR INTO FLT. TURB HAD NOT BEEN A PROB. WE (THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE COACH CABIN) HAD JUST PULLED THE BEVERAGE CART AND MEAL CARTS TO THE FORWARD OF COACH ON BOTH SIDES AND HAD BEGUN SERVING THE MEAL WITH BEVERAGES. THE FASTEN SEATBELT SIGN WAS STILL ON FROM A PREVIOUS MILD TURB EVENT, PRIOR TO STARTING THE MEAL SVC. WE HAD SERVED PAX IN THE FORWARD FEW ROWS, AND SUDDENLY THE PLANE SEEMED TO HAVE DROPPED -- LOST ALT SUDDENLY. THE CARTS WENT UP TO THE TOP OF THE INSIDE CABIN 2 TIMES. THE SEVERE EVENT LASTED ABOUT 15-20 SECONDS. AFTER THE EVENT ENDED, I CHKED MY IMMEDIATE AREA TO SEE IF THERE WERE ANY INJURIES -- THERE WERE NONE, EXCEPT FOR FOOD AND LIQUIDS THAT WERE SPILLED. NOTHING HOT SPILLED ON THE PAX IN MY IMMEDIATE AREA. THE FLT ATTENDANTS IMMEDIATELY STARTED CHKING THE CABIN FOR INJURIES. THERE WERE APPROX 15 PAX THAT DID NOT HAVE THEIR BELTS FASTENED AND HAD HEAD AND NECK INJURIES -- FROM HITTING THE PANELS ABOVE THEIR HEAD. THE CAPT DIVERTED THE ACFT TO BERMUDA, WHICH WAS APPROX 30 MINS AFTER THE INCIDENT. PAX AND 2 INJURED CREW MEMBERS WERE TRIAGED, AND THOSE MORE SEVERE, TAKEN TO LCL HOSPITAL FOR FURTHER EVALUATION. NO PAX HAD CRITICAL OR LIFE THREATENING INJURIES. PAX WERE THEN REBOARDED ONTO ANOTHER ACFT, AND CONTINUED ON TO CCS. NO PAX HAD TO REMAIN IN HOSPITAL OVERNIGHT. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 444396 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THIS SECONDARY RPTR STATED THAT THE INJURED PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS WERE ALL TAKEN TO A HOSPITAL FOR TREATMENT, AND ALL BUT ONE WERE RELEASED IN TIME TO GO ON THE CONTINUATION OF THE FLT 3 HRS LATER. THEY USED ANOTHER AIRPLANE, BECAUSE THEIRS WAS A MESS AND THEIR AIRLINE HAPPENED TO HAVE AN EMPTY PLANE SITTING IN BERMUDA OVERNIGHT, SO THEY USED THAT ONE. 1 PAX STAYED BEHIND IN THE HOSPITAL IN BERMUDA. THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT WERE INJURED WERE WORKING IN THE MID CABIN, AND NOT AS EXPECTED, IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 444397: SEATBELT SIGN HAD BEEN ON THE ENTIRE TIME AND NUMEROUS ANNOUNCEMENTS WERE MADE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH. MOST INJURIES WERE A RESULT OF PEOPLE HITTING THE CEILING. SOME PAX EVEN LEFT INDENTATIONS IN THE ACFT INTERIOR FROM WHERE THEIR HEADS HIT. THE 2 INJURED CREW MEMBERS WERE INJURED BY THE IMPACT ON THE CEILING AND FLOOR AND BY THE MEAL CART LNDG ON ONE CREW MEMBER'S FOOT. THE REST OF THE CREW HAD MINOR INJURIES (MAINLY BRUISES AND SOME SLIGHT BACK/NECK PAIN). FO CAME BACK TO INSPECT THE ACFT, WE DIVERTED TO BDA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ACN 444397 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THE IMPACT OF THE CARTS LNDG FLATTENED THE CARTS SO THAT THEY WERE BULGING OUT AND TOO WIDE TO BE STORED IN THE GALLEY SLOTS. THE PAX THAT REMAINED IN THE HOSPITAL WAS KEPT BECAUSE OF PREVIOUS HEART PROBS.

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.