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| Date: | Thursday 17 July 2003 |
| Time: | 15:45 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 777-222 |
| Owner/operator: | United Airlines |
| Registration: | N779UA |
| MSN: | 26941/35 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1996 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 28617 hours |
| Engine model: | Pratt & Whitney PW4077 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 270 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Chicago, IL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Denver International Airport, CO (DEN/KDEN) |
| Chicago-O'Hare International Airport, IL (ORD/KORD) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
A passenger sustained a broken ankle when the flight encountered moderate turbulence. The captain reported that the seat belt sign was on prior to entering a buildup. The captain stated, "However a passenger, ... had still not taken her seat. Apparently she had been in the lavatory when I turned on the seat belt sign, and was returning to her seat at the time of the encounter." An excerpt from an airline weather study stated, "Even though the main band of convective activity had passed the location of the incident, the possibility of a towering cumulus cell re-building behind the first band was indeed possible as the air mass was becoming gradually unstable again. ... Therefore, the pilot report of encountering a jolt of light turbulence followed by moderate turbulence is plausible."
Probable Cause: The turbulence encountered during the descent which seriously injured a passenger returning to her seat after the seat belt sign was activated. A factor was that it was not possible for the returning passenger to comply with the lit seat belt sign.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB CHI03LA237
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 4 February 2023 | N779UA | United Airlines | 0 | near Lincoln, NE | |
unk |
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 25-Mar-2024 10:15 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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