Narrative:

Approximately 35-40 NM wnw of orl, severe turbulence encountered. No radar return. Remainder of flight normal with normal approach and landing. After landing, F/a entered cockpit and advised flight crew that both cabin attendants had sustained injuries and several passenger injured due to seat belts coming loose at attach points. F/a's had been advised to take their seats as well as seat belt sign turned on an passenger notified via cockpit passenger announcement to remain in seats with belts fastened. Because the F/a's thought sterile cockpit had been signaled, cockpit crew was not advised of their injuries till aircraft parked after landing. Their training emphasizes sterile cockpit importance. However, in this situation, had further problems developed requiring F/a assistance, the flight crew would have been unaware of F/a's injuries and restriction of their assistance capabilities. The turbulence encountered was of short duration (2 severe bumps), but strong enough to pull several seat belts from their attach points. 2 problems here (my opinion): passenger do not wear seatbelts snugly because of lack of knowledge about the importance and the design of the seatbelt and its respective attach point (which is not unique to the type of aircraft flown here) allows for future problems in severe turbulence. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following: the seatbelt on this medium large transport is attached to the seat by a hook that engages a metal ring on the seat. The hook is precluded from coming off the ring by a metal tab that closes the opening and is held closed by a cotter key. In this incident, when the turbulence was encountered, the belt must have been loosely fastened around passenger, and when thrown against belt, ring came against tab and bent it allowing belt to come loose. The FAA is investigating the seatbelt attachment to determine what modifications are needed. The turbulence encountered went from a negative 1.78 to a positive 2.21 reading on the G meter. The F/a's had disregarded the instructions to be seated immediately and were checking passenger seatbelts when turbulence encountered. Fortunately, there were no serious injuries to either passenger or cabin attendants.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACR MLG ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURBULENCE. PASSENGERS INJURED DUE TO SEATBELTS COMING LOOSE AT ATTACH POINT. CABIN ATTENDANTS INJURED DUE TO NOT BEING BELTED IN AS INSTRUCTED BY FLT CREW.

Narrative: APPROX 35-40 NM WNW OF ORL, SEVERE TURB ENCOUNTERED. NO RADAR RETURN. REMAINDER OF FLT NORMAL WITH NORMAL APCH AND LNDG. AFTER LNDG, F/A ENTERED COCKPIT AND ADVISED FLT CREW THAT BOTH CABIN ATTENDANTS HAD SUSTAINED INJURIES AND SEVERAL PAX INJURED DUE TO SEAT BELTS COMING LOOSE AT ATTACH POINTS. F/A'S HAD BEEN ADVISED TO TAKE THEIR SEATS AS WELL AS SEAT BELT SIGN TURNED ON AN PAX NOTIFIED VIA COCKPIT PAX ANNOUNCEMENT TO REMAIN IN SEATS WITH BELTS FASTENED. BECAUSE THE F/A'S THOUGHT STERILE COCKPIT HAD BEEN SIGNALED, COCKPIT CREW WAS NOT ADVISED OF THEIR INJURIES TILL ACFT PARKED AFTER LNDG. THEIR TRNING EMPHASIZES STERILE COCKPIT IMPORTANCE. HOWEVER, IN THIS SITUATION, HAD FURTHER PROBS DEVELOPED REQUIRING F/A ASSISTANCE, THE FLT CREW WOULD HAVE BEEN UNAWARE OF F/A'S INJURIES AND RESTRICTION OF THEIR ASSISTANCE CAPABILITIES. THE TURB ENCOUNTERED WAS OF SHORT DURATION (2 SEVERE BUMPS), BUT STRONG ENOUGH TO PULL SEVERAL SEAT BELTS FROM THEIR ATTACH POINTS. 2 PROBS HERE (MY OPINION): PAX DO NOT WEAR SEATBELTS SNUGLY BECAUSE OF LACK OF KNOWLEDGE ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE AND THE DESIGN OF THE SEATBELT AND ITS RESPECTIVE ATTACH POINT (WHICH IS NOT UNIQUE TO THE TYPE OF ACFT FLOWN HERE) ALLOWS FOR FUTURE PROBS IN SEVERE TURB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING: THE SEATBELT ON THIS MLG IS ATTACHED TO THE SEAT BY A HOOK THAT ENGAGES A METAL RING ON THE SEAT. THE HOOK IS PRECLUDED FROM COMING OFF THE RING BY A METAL TAB THAT CLOSES THE OPENING AND IS HELD CLOSED BY A COTTER KEY. IN THIS INCIDENT, WHEN THE TURB WAS ENCOUNTERED, THE BELT MUST HAVE BEEN LOOSELY FASTENED AROUND PAX, AND WHEN THROWN AGAINST BELT, RING CAME AGAINST TAB AND BENT IT ALLOWING BELT TO COME LOOSE. THE FAA IS INVESTIGATING THE SEATBELT ATTACHMENT TO DETERMINE WHAT MODIFICATIONS ARE NEEDED. THE TURB ENCOUNTERED WENT FROM A NEGATIVE 1.78 TO A POSITIVE 2.21 READING ON THE G METER. THE F/A'S HAD DISREGARDED THE INSTRUCTIONS TO BE SEATED IMMEDIATELY AND WERE CHKING PAX SEATBELTS WHEN TURB ENCOUNTERED. FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO SERIOUS INJURIES TO EITHER PAX OR CABIN ATTENDANTS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.