Boeing 777 N860DA

Summary

On 30 September 2020 at about 19:00 local time, a Boeing 777 registered N860DA, operated by Delta Airlines, was involved in an accident near Anchorage, Alaska, United States. 252 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

30 September 2020 at 19:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Anchorage, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

61.1734, -149.9868

Aircraft

Boeing 777

Registration

N860DA

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Engines

2

Operator

Delta Airlines

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Yigo, Guam → Anchorage

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

Unk

Light

Not Reported

NTSB number

DCA21LA018

1 person was seriously injured.

The airplane’s encounter with severe turbulence while flying over a mountain range during cruise.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane was in cruise flight when it encountered turbulence over the Aleutian Islands, a chain of mountainous volcanic islands west of the Alaskan peninsula. A flight attendant standing in the aft main cabin galley during the encounter fell onto the galley cart restraint latch, injuring her top left rib. She was subsequently diagnosed with a fractured rib. Post-accident examination of the weather data indicated that about the time of the injury, there was evidence of a short duration turbulence event while the aircraft flew over the Aleutian Islands. The flight crew did not recall any notable turbulence during the flight, and there were no pilot reports (PIREPs) or inflight weather advisories current for the area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.