McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) N573AA

Summary

On 26 May 2004 at about 22:20 local time, a McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82) registered N573AA was involved in an accident near Near St. Louis, Missouri, United States. 88 people were on board and one was seriously injured, one had minor injuries. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

26 May 2004 at 22:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Near St. Louis, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

St. Louis International (STL)

Coordinates

38.7478, -90.3600

Aircraft

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-82 (MD-82)

Registration

N573AA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Orange County → St. Louis

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI04LA127

1 person was seriously injured.

The unexpected encounter with convective turbulence which resulted in a flight attendant being injured.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A flight attendant was seriously injured and a passenger received a minor injury when the airplane encountered turbulence during an arrival descent. The airplane was descending through 12,000 feet at 280 to 290 knots when it encountered an updraft. The captain reported they had just entered the cloud tops when they encountered an updraft that lasted about 2 seconds. The cockpit crew was then informed that a flight attendant in the rear of the airplane was thrown off her feet and injured. A passenger who was in the lavatory when the turbulence was encountered, reported that he hit his head. The flight crew declared an emergency. The flight was immediately cleared for an approach, and they were met by medical personnel after an uneventful landing. The passenger refused treatment. The flight attendant was transported to a hospital where it was determined that she suffered broken ribs, a fractured wrist, and pelvic fractures. According to crewmembers, the seatbelt sign was on when the turbulence was encountered. Although storms were not present along the flight path, SIGMETS had been issued for severe storms in the surrounding area. Approximately 15 minutes after this accident, another MD-80 reported severe turbulence along the same route.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.