Airbus A319-132 N505NK

Summary

On 16 February 2023 at about 13:30 local time, a Airbus A319-132 registered N505NK, operated by Spirit Airlines Inc, was involved in an accident near New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. 157 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

16 February 2023 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

New Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Coordinates

29.9933, -90.2581

Aircraft

Airbus A319-132

Registration

N505NK

Category

Airplane

Year built

2005

Engines

2

Operator

Spirit Airlines Inc

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Atlanta → New Orleans

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DCA23LA175

1 person was seriously injured.

The flight’s encounter with convective turbulence.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Spirit Airlines flight 641 encountered convective turbulence while descending into Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY), New Orleans, Louisiana. As a result of the turbulence, all three flight attendants were injured with two receiving minor injuries and one receiving a serious injury. The aircraft continued to its destination without further incident. According to the captain, the flight crew completed the approach checklist and illuminated the seat belt sign when the airplane was at about flight level (FL)180. As the airplane passed through 12,000 feet, the first officer (FO) made an announcement to the flight attendants to prepare the cabin for landing. According to the lead flight attendant, she made the landing announcement to passengers while the other two flight attendants started final checks from the aft cabin. The lead flight attendant then started the final check from the front of the aircraft. When the lead flight attendant was between rows 6 and 9, the airplane descended through a cloud layer at about 7000 feet and experienced what was described as moderate turbulence by the flight crew. This turbulence led to all three flight attendants falling to the floor. All three flight attendants agreed they needed medical attention and notified the flight crew. The FO called operations and requested for paramedics to meet the airplane. The flight continued to its destination without further incident. Upon arrival at MSY, paramedics met the airplane at the gate, and all flight attendants received medical treatment. The lead flight attendant was transported to the hospital where she was diagnosed with a fractured ankle. Another flight attendant suffered minor injuries to their back and the third suffered minor injuries to their head. Both pilots stated that the cloud layer appeared stable with no vertical development, and there were no indications on the radar that suggested the risk of turbulence. A post-accident review of the weather conditions showed no pilot reports (PIREPs) for turbulence located within a 100 nm radius from the accident location within 2 hours of the accident time. There were no airman’s meteorological information (AIRMETs), significant meteorological information (SIGMETs), or Center Weather Advisories for turbulence or thunderstorm activity for the accident location. Based on weather satellite information and upper air sounding data, the flight encountered convective activity while traversing building cumulus clouds during the descent.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.