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| Date: | Tuesday 19 February 2013 |
| Time: | 15:00 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 747-422 |
| Owner/operator: | United Airlines |
| Registration: | N174UA |
| MSN: | 24381/762 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1990 |
| Engine model: | P&W PW4000 SER |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 221 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | over Pacific Ocean -
 Pacific Ocean
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Sydney-Kingsford Smith International Airport, NSW (SYD/YSSY) |
| San Francisco International Airport, CA (SFO/KSFO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
The flight crew reported that the flight experienced unexpected light-to-moderate turbulence during cruise flight for about 3 hours. The seatbelt sign was illuminated, and the passengers and flight attendants had been seated. A flight attendant, who was on her rest break and was resting in the bunk room, reported that the turbulence had stopped for a while and that she thought she heard a "faint ding" indicating that the seatbelt sign had been turned off, so she went to the lavatory. However, the flight then encountered moderate turbulence, during which the flight attendant sustained a serious injury while walking from her bunk to the lavatory. The flight attendant reported that announcements made over the public address system could not be heard in the bunk room and that it was not always possible to hear when the seatbelt sign was turned on or off. It is likely that, if the flight attendant had a visual indication that the seatbelt sign was on, she would not have attempted to get up until safe movement was assured.
Probable Cause: The flight's encounter with moderate clear air turbulence while en route, which resulted in a serious injury to a flight attendant. Contributing to the accident was the lack of communication equipment in the rest compartment, which, if installed, could have alerted the cabin crewmembers that the seatbelt sign was on.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB WPR13LA131
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 27 August 1990 | N174UA | United Airlines | 0 | Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX) |  |
min |
| Forced landing | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 02-Jun-2023 16:21 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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