Airbus A319 132 N512NK

Summary

On 22 May 2017 at about 00:30 local time, a Airbus A319 132 registered N512NK, operated by Spirit Airlines, Inc., was involved in an accident near South Toledo Bend, Texas, United States. 142 people were on board and one was seriously injured, 2 had minor injuries. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

22 May 2017 at 00:30

Classification

Accident

Location

South Toledo Bend, Texas, United States

Coordinates

30.9908, -93.6605

Aircraft

Airbus A319 132

Registration

N512NK

Category

Airplane

Year built

2006

Engines

2

Operator

Spirit Airlines, Inc.

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

New Orleans → Dallas

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

IMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DCA17CA123

1 person was seriously injured.

an encounter with convective turbulence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

On May 20, 2017, about 1930 central daylight time, Spirit Airlines flight 330, an Airbus A319-132, N512NK, encountered turbulence while in cruise flight at flight level (FL) 360. Of the 146 passengers and crew onboard, one flight attendant received serious injuries.  The airplane was not damaged. The regularly scheduled passenger flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (KMSY), New Orleans, Louisiana, to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (KDFW), Dallas, Texas. During cruise, as the flight was approaching a line of weather, the flight crew made a public address announcement for the passengers to be seated because they expected turbulence.  In addition, the captain called the lead flight attendant (FA) and instructed that all the flight attendants be seated. The seatbelt sign was illuminated for the entire flight. About 10 minutes later, the flight penetrated a line of weather and the airplane had a short encounter with moderate turbulence. The autopilot did not disengage during the encounter. When the turbulence occurred, one of the FAs was seated in the aft galley without her seatbelt fastened and was thrown upwards, hitting her head on the ceiling before landing on the galley floor. She was assisted by medically qualified passengers and remained on the floor for the remainder of the flight due to numbness in her extremities. Emergency personnel met the airplane after landing and the injured FA was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with number 1 lumbar fracture.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.