In a night operation arrival in an area of thunderstorm activity, there were numerous flight attenda...

Narrative:

From our departure in sao paulo we experienced a light to moderate rough air (chop). It felt like the plane was traveling so fast it was shaking apart. I called the cockpit once to let them know that we were having a tough time walking due to chop and I was concerned that passenger were ignoring the seatbelt sign because it had been on so long. I was told we were trying to save fuel by traveling at this rate and that we were boxed into this altitude for now by traffic. The flight seemed to smooth out about 1/2 hour later, but I remember sitting down for my break and being unable to rest due to a constant light, jarring chop. We started breakfast service at XA15, 15 mins earlier than usual because with the tailwind or speed we were arriving more than 30 mins before schedule. I was assigned to work r-hand side coach cabin. After I picked up service items and trays in coach, I did a double-careful seatbelt check. I had noticed at least 2 kids sleeping on seats without belts on while their parents were in the lavatory or wandering around. I did strap those little ones in as well as I could and moved to business class. I saw at least 4 trays out. Since we were about 20 mins from touchdown (landing), I cleared 2 trays and made my way to the galley, bracing my legs in the aisle between the seats. About the time I reached the 2R door by the entertainment module, there was a hard jolt. I tried to hand a tray to another flight attendant so I could grab something and stabilize myself. I released one tray, then felt airborne briefly, before feeling like a rag doll smashed into the floor. My legs flew out from under me and I landed hard on my right elbow then rolled to my left hip. There was no free hand hold I could grab. I heard lots of crashing china and glassware, the business and first class galley compartments emptied themselves of their contents, much of it landing on top of other flight attendants in the business galley that I could see. It's a miracle no one was cut. I crawled to the 2L jumpseat and strapped in. My right elbow was scraped, bruised and swollen. I got some ice from another flight attendant. I made my way back to the 4R jumpseat for landing and noticed almost complete seatbelt compliance! We were met by the agent and EMS crew and police. Several flight attendants were bruised, sore, limping. I went with the EMS crew and one other attendant to the port authority/authorized medical. I do not hold our cockpit crew responsible for this incident. I was very relieved that the seatbelt sign was on and that I knew I had made extra careful seatbelt checks. Injuries could have been prevented if trays had been picked up as soon as passenger finished eating and especially if the galley doors (compartment doors) had been locked. The key is, especially during turbulence, to stow and lock all compartments. I'm sure that saved the aft galley staff from more serious injury. Turbulence happens. In order to diminish the likelihood of injury, remove all flying objects (trays, glassware) as soon as possible, batten down the hatches and make sure you aren't a flying object by staying strapped in when chop is present!

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: IN A NIGHT OP ARR IN AN AREA OF TSTM ACTIVITY, THERE WERE NUMEROUS FLT ATTENDANT INJURIES RPTED IN A B777 DURING DSCNT INTO JFK, NY.

Narrative: FROM OUR DEP IN SAO PAULO WE EXPERIENCED A LIGHT TO MODERATE ROUGH AIR (CHOP). IT FELT LIKE THE PLANE WAS TRAVELING SO FAST IT WAS SHAKING APART. I CALLED THE COCKPIT ONCE TO LET THEM KNOW THAT WE WERE HAVING A TOUGH TIME WALKING DUE TO CHOP AND I WAS CONCERNED THAT PAX WERE IGNORING THE SEATBELT SIGN BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN ON SO LONG. I WAS TOLD WE WERE TRYING TO SAVE FUEL BY TRAVELING AT THIS RATE AND THAT WE WERE BOXED INTO THIS ALT FOR NOW BY TFC. THE FLT SEEMED TO SMOOTH OUT ABOUT 1/2 HR LATER, BUT I REMEMBER SITTING DOWN FOR MY BREAK AND BEING UNABLE TO REST DUE TO A CONSTANT LIGHT, JARRING CHOP. WE STARTED BREAKFAST SVC AT XA15, 15 MINS EARLIER THAN USUAL BECAUSE WITH THE TAILWIND OR SPD WE WERE ARRIVING MORE THAN 30 MINS BEFORE SCHEDULE. I WAS ASSIGNED TO WORK R-HAND SIDE COACH CABIN. AFTER I PICKED UP SVC ITEMS AND TRAYS IN COACH, I DID A DOUBLE-CAREFUL SEATBELT CHK. I HAD NOTICED AT LEAST 2 KIDS SLEEPING ON SEATS WITHOUT BELTS ON WHILE THEIR PARENTS WERE IN THE LAVATORY OR WANDERING AROUND. I DID STRAP THOSE LITTLE ONES IN AS WELL AS I COULD AND MOVED TO BUSINESS CLASS. I SAW AT LEAST 4 TRAYS OUT. SINCE WE WERE ABOUT 20 MINS FROM TOUCHDOWN (LNDG), I CLRED 2 TRAYS AND MADE MY WAY TO THE GALLEY, BRACING MY LEGS IN THE AISLE BTWN THE SEATS. ABOUT THE TIME I REACHED THE 2R DOOR BY THE ENTERTAINMENT MODULE, THERE WAS A HARD JOLT. I TRIED TO HAND A TRAY TO ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT SO I COULD GRAB SOMETHING AND STABILIZE MYSELF. I RELEASED ONE TRAY, THEN FELT AIRBORNE BRIEFLY, BEFORE FEELING LIKE A RAG DOLL SMASHED INTO THE FLOOR. MY LEGS FLEW OUT FROM UNDER ME AND I LANDED HARD ON MY R ELBOW THEN ROLLED TO MY L HIP. THERE WAS NO FREE HAND HOLD I COULD GRAB. I HEARD LOTS OF CRASHING CHINA AND GLASSWARE, THE BUSINESS AND FIRST CLASS GALLEY COMPARTMENTS EMPTIED THEMSELVES OF THEIR CONTENTS, MUCH OF IT LANDING ON TOP OF OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BUSINESS GALLEY THAT I COULD SEE. IT'S A MIRACLE NO ONE WAS CUT. I CRAWLED TO THE 2L JUMPSEAT AND STRAPPED IN. MY R ELBOW WAS SCRAPED, BRUISED AND SWOLLEN. I GOT SOME ICE FROM ANOTHER FLT ATTENDANT. I MADE MY WAY BACK TO THE 4R JUMPSEAT FOR LNDG AND NOTICED ALMOST COMPLETE SEATBELT COMPLIANCE! WE WERE MET BY THE AGENT AND EMS CREW AND POLICE. SEVERAL FLT ATTENDANTS WERE BRUISED, SORE, LIMPING. I WENT WITH THE EMS CREW AND ONE OTHER ATTENDANT TO THE PORT AUTH MEDICAL. I DO NOT HOLD OUR COCKPIT CREW RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS INCIDENT. I WAS VERY RELIEVED THAT THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS ON AND THAT I KNEW I HAD MADE EXTRA CAREFUL SEATBELT CHKS. INJURIES COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF TRAYS HAD BEEN PICKED UP AS SOON AS PAX FINISHED EATING AND ESPECIALLY IF THE GALLEY DOORS (COMPARTMENT DOORS) HAD BEEN LOCKED. THE KEY IS, ESPECIALLY DURING TURB, TO STOW AND LOCK ALL COMPARTMENTS. I'M SURE THAT SAVED THE AFT GALLEY STAFF FROM MORE SERIOUS INJURY. TURB HAPPENS. IN ORDER TO DIMINISH THE LIKELIHOOD OF INJURY, REMOVE ALL FLYING OBJECTS (TRAYS, GLASSWARE) ASAP, BATTEN DOWN THE HATCHES AND MAKE SURE YOU AREN'T A FLYING OBJECT BY STAYING STRAPPED IN WHEN CHOP IS PRESENT!

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.

Attributes
ACN	591882
Time
Date	200308
Day	Tue
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : zny.artcc
State Reference	NY
Environment
Weather Elements	Thunderstorm Rain Turbulence
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zny.artcc
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B777 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	descent : intermediate altitude
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Qualification	flight attendant : currently qualified flight attendant aircraft qualified on : 5
Experience	flight attendant time airline total : 12 flight attendant time total : 12 flight attendant time type : 50
ASRS Report	591882
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Events
Anomaly	cabin event other inflight encounter : turbulence inflight encounter : weather other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : cab 1-2
Resolutory Action	flight crew : exited adverse environment other
Consequence	other other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Weather Cabin Crew Human Performance Environmental Factor Passenger Human Performance
Primary Problem	Ambiguous

In a night operation arrival in an area of thunderstorm activity, there were numerous flight attendant injuries reported in a B777 during descent into jfk, ny.