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| Date: | Monday 19 August 2024 |
| Time: | 13:45 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 737-7BD (WL) |
| Owner/operator: | Southwest Airlines |
| Registration: | N7734H |
| MSN: | 33923/2083 |
| Year of manufacture: | 2006 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 58599 hours |
| Engine model: | CFMI CFM56-7B24 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 93 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | None |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | near Highland Meadows, NM -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Passenger - Scheduled |
| Departure airport: | Los Angeles International Airport, CA (LAX/KLAX) |
| Albuquerque International Airport, NM (ABQ/KABQ) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
Southwest Airlines flight WN1768, a Boeing 737-700, encountered turbulence during descent into Albuquerque International Airport (ABQ), Albuquerque, New Mexico. The flight was a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Los Angeles, California to ABQ. As a result of the turbulence, one flight attendant sustained serious injuries.
The flight crew reported that the enroute weather was visual meteorological conditions, mostly clear skies, with occasional light chop turbulence. They had been monitoring their electronic flight bag applications for turbulence forecasts, one of which predicted an area of moderate turbulence about 80 miles prior to the top of descent. The captain asked the cabin crew to sit down for about 10 minutes as they transited that area, during which the turbulence was also occasional light chop.
During the descent, at an altitude of about 12,000 ft, the aircraft experienced what the captain described as 2-3 seconds of moderate turbulence as the airplane flew through a cirrus cloud. The first officer recalled that it was the only cloud in the vicinity and described the turbulence (as they flew through it) as “light chop'.
After landing, the C flight attendant told the captain that during the turbulence, both of her feet left the floor momentarily, and that she landed awkwardly on her feet. The cabin crew left the airplane for their overnight. Shortly after, the B flight attendant returned to the airplane and told the flight deck crew that flight attendant C was having difficulty walking. She was later diagnosed with a fractured left tibia.
A post-accident review of weather records revealed that a convective significant meteorological information (SIGMET) was in effect for an area surrounding the accident, warning of either existing or expected thunderstorms. Convective SIGMETS imply the possibility of severe or greater turbulence. There were no airman's meteorological information (AIRMETS) in effect for the accident area, and no pilot reports (PIREPS) reporting any turbulence within 150 miles of the accident location. Satellite imagery near the time of the accident showed areas of cumulous clouds to the west and southwest of ABQ, in the area of the accident. The convective conditions and presence of cumulous clouds near the accident were consistent with convectively induced turbulence.
Probable Cause: An encounter with convectively induced turbulence during descent.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB DCA24LA290
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 9 January 2016 | N7734H | Southwest Airlines | 0 | Sacramento International Airport, CA (SMF/KSMF) | |
min |
| Bird strike | ||||||
Location
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 31-Oct-2024 14:33 | Captain Adam | Added |
| 26-Jan-2025 12:05 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Operator, Other fatalities, Nature, Source, Narrative, ] |
| 26-Jan-2025 12:09 | ASN | Updated [Nature, Narrative, ] |
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