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Sudden severe turbulence causes md super 80 cabin crew and passenger to be shaken and thrown about in the cabin.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 548528 |
| Time | |
| Date | 200204 |
| Day | Mon |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | atc facility : zoa.artcc |
| State Reference | CA |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Weather Elements | Turbulence |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | artcc : zoa.artcc tower : pie.tower |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | MD-80 Super 80 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | cruise : level |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight attendant : on duty |
| Qualification | flight attendant : currently qualified |
| Experience | flight attendant time airline total : 3 flight attendant time total : 3 flight attendant time type : 90 |
| ASRS Report | 548528 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | cabin event other inflight encounter : turbulence |
| Independent Detector | other flight crewa other flight crewb other other : cab 1 |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : insufficient time |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Problem Areas | Cabin Crew Human Performance Flight Crew Human Performance Weather |
| Primary Problem | Weather |
Narrative:
About 45 mins out from landing in sjc, the #4 flight attendant and myself (the #2 flight attendant) were in the forward 1/3 of the main cabin performing a beverage service with the cart. There was a crew call on the interphone from the captain to the #1 flight attendant. He told her there had been reports of severe turbulence up ahead of us and that we might want to be quick with our service and stow our cart. The #1 flight attendant told the #4 flight attendant this information face-to-face and the #4 flight attendant told me face-to-face. I am not sure whether the information was diluted as it was passed down from person to person. Certainly, after the turbulence occurred, the other 2 flight attendants felt a bit like they wished they had conveyed the information differently or more urgently. I proceeded to bring the cart back with the #4 flight attendant and we were just forward of the #4 jump seat galley area when we experienced the severe turbulence. I yelled, 'angle the cart!' but I realized as the cart and us flew into the air and repeatedly crashed down that it was not a good idea to angle the cart if I wanted it to come down in a safer manner and not injure passenger legs or arms. Also, the inserts on top of the cart could never have been covered by a blanket as I was taught in training. I felt fortunate to have the galley close by because I was able to fling the inserts toward the galley door and get them away from falling on passenger. (To get the inserts to the floor is definitely a better idea than covering them.) the real problem that I saw in this whole incident was the lack of proper communication between the pilots and the flight attendants and also between the pilots and the passenger. I don't know if the pilots felt that it was urgent or not to have us seated right away. They never told us to urgently take our seats and no PA's were ever made to the passenger to warn them of the possibility of severe turbulence. We had lap children aboard the flight that day. I really thank god that no one was hurt.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: SUDDEN SEVERE TURB CAUSES MD SUPER 80 CABIN CREW AND PAX TO BE SHAKEN AND THROWN ABOUT IN THE CABIN.
Narrative: ABOUT 45 MINS OUT FROM LNDG IN SJC, THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT AND MYSELF (THE #2 FLT ATTENDANT) WERE IN THE FORWARD 1/3 OF THE MAIN CABIN PERFORMING A BEVERAGE SVC WITH THE CART. THERE WAS A CREW CALL ON THE INTERPHONE FROM THE CAPT TO THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT. HE TOLD HER THERE HAD BEEN RPTS OF SEVERE TURB UP AHEAD OF US AND THAT WE MIGHT WANT TO BE QUICK WITH OUR SVC AND STOW OUR CART. THE #1 FLT ATTENDANT TOLD THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT THIS INFO FACE-TO-FACE AND THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT TOLD ME FACE-TO-FACE. I AM NOT SURE WHETHER THE INFO WAS DILUTED AS IT WAS PASSED DOWN FROM PERSON TO PERSON. CERTAINLY, AFTER THE TURB OCCURRED, THE OTHER 2 FLT ATTENDANTS FELT A BIT LIKE THEY WISHED THEY HAD CONVEYED THE INFO DIFFERENTLY OR MORE URGENTLY. I PROCEEDED TO BRING THE CART BACK WITH THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT AND WE WERE JUST FORWARD OF THE #4 JUMP SEAT GALLEY AREA WHEN WE EXPERIENCED THE SEVERE TURB. I YELLED, 'ANGLE THE CART!' BUT I REALIZED AS THE CART AND US FLEW INTO THE AIR AND REPEATEDLY CRASHED DOWN THAT IT WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA TO ANGLE THE CART IF I WANTED IT TO COME DOWN IN A SAFER MANNER AND NOT INJURE PAX LEGS OR ARMS. ALSO, THE INSERTS ON TOP OF THE CART COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN COVERED BY A BLANKET AS I WAS TAUGHT IN TRAINING. I FELT FORTUNATE TO HAVE THE GALLEY CLOSE BY BECAUSE I WAS ABLE TO FLING THE INSERTS TOWARD THE GALLEY DOOR AND GET THEM AWAY FROM FALLING ON PAX. (TO GET THE INSERTS TO THE FLOOR IS DEFINITELY A BETTER IDEA THAN COVERING THEM.) THE REAL PROB THAT I SAW IN THIS WHOLE INCIDENT WAS THE LACK OF PROPER COM BTWN THE PLTS AND THE FLT ATTENDANTS AND ALSO BTWN THE PLTS AND THE PAX. I DON'T KNOW IF THE PLTS FELT THAT IT WAS URGENT OR NOT TO HAVE US SEATED RIGHT AWAY. THEY NEVER TOLD US TO URGENTLY TAKE OUR SEATS AND NO PA'S WERE EVER MADE TO THE PAX TO WARN THEM OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SEVERE TURB. WE HAD LAP CHILDREN ABOARD THE FLT THAT DAY. I REALLY THANK GOD THAT NO ONE WAS HURT.
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.