Boeing 777 N771AN accident near Honolulu, Hawaii

Probable cause

the airplanes encounter with clear air turbulence.

NTSB analysis

On February 27, 2019, about 1338 Hawaii standard time, American Airlines flight 123, N771AN, a Boeing B777-200, encountered clear air turbulence during initial descent to Honolulu International Airport (PHNL), Honolulu, Hawaii. Of the 219 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 operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW), Dallas, Texas, to PHNL.

The captain was the pilot flying and the first officer was monitoring. The flight had been unremarkable, with a smooth ride while cruising at FL380, in good visual meteorological conditions (VMC). The flight crew stated that about 15 mins before decent they checked the weather with Honolulu Control Facility (HCF) and was informed of turbulence "light to moderate all alts". The captain called the purser and informed him of the expected turbulence and to prepare for the arrival early by stowing the carts and securing the cabin. The seat belt sign was on. About 15 minutes later, they began their initial descent and encountered moderate to severe clear air turbulence about FL310, which lasted about 10 to15 seconds.

The ride smoothed out at about FL290, and the flight crew then received a call from the cabin, indicating that two flight attendants in the aft galley had been injured. After landing both injured flight attendants were transported to a hospital where one was diagnosed with a fractured vertebra.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for DCA19CA088 for the full record.