Mcdonnell Douglas MD88 N918DE accident near Charlotte, North Carolina

Probable cause

An inadvertent encounter with convective turbulence.

NTSB analysis

On July 23, 2018, about 1538 eastern daylight time, Delta Air Lines flight 2133, a McDonnell Douglas MD-88, N918DE, encountered turbulence during descent into Charlotte Douglas International Airport (KCLT), Charlotte, North Carolina. Of the 146 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant received serious injuries and one received minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Atlanta-Hartsfield International Airport (KATL), Atlanta, Georgia, to KCLT.

The captain was the pilot monitoring and first officer was the pilot flying. According to the flight crew, there were thunderstorms along the entire route that required them to deviate around multiple cells. The seat belt sign was on the entire flight and the weather radar was on. As the flight approached KCLT, the captain called the lead flight attendant (FA) and requested that the FAs complete their final walkthrough and be seated for the remainder of the flight, since he expected it to be bumpy during the arrival. As they were deviating around convective weather, the flight entered a cloud and encountered severe turbulence with heavy rain. The autopilot disconnected and the airplane dropped abruptly to the left. The first officer maintained positive manual control throughout the event and the crew estimated the turbulence lasted about 10 seconds. The captain immediately contacted the cabin and was informed that two FAs were injured.

After receiving the captain’s call to prepare for landing early, the three FAs immediately began their final walkthroughs. Two FAs were in the aisle when the turbulence occurred. Both FAs were thrown into the air and then onto the floor. One FA had injured her back and was helped into a passenger seat for the remainder of the flight. The other FA injured her knees but was able to continue her duties for the remainder of the flight. The captain declared a medical emergency and requested that emergency personnel meet the airplane at the gate. Upon arrival, both FAs were transported to the hospital where one was diagnosed with a fractured vertebrae.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for DCA18CA251 for the full record.