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DCA11CA060

2011-05-23 · Boone, North Carolina, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KATL

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

Inadvertant encounter with convective turbulence while in cruise. Contributing to the severity of the accident was the unrestrained status of the passenger, contrary to the lighted seat belt sign.

Factual narrative

On May 23, 2011 at about 1520 eastern daylight time, a Boeing 757-223, N623DL, operated by Delta Airlines as flight 2001, encountered turbulence while in cruise flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts to Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport(ATL), Atlanta, Georgia. The flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight. One passenger was seriously injured and one of the 4 flight attendants experienced a minor injury. None of the 2 flight crew, other 3 flight attendants, or other 180 passengers was injured. The airplane was not damaged, and continued the flight to Atlanta. The flight crew reported that while in cruise flight at FL340, approximately 200 miles northeast of the destination, they were in an area of forecast convective weather and were maneuvering between two cells when they inadvertantly entered the edge of a cumulus buildup at the time of the turbulence. The seat belt sign was illuminated at this time, but the passenger was out of her seat and fell, resulting in a broken ankle. On May 23, 2011 at about 1520 eastern daylight time, a Boeing 757-223, N623DL, operated by Delta Airlines as flight 2001, encountered turbulence while in cruise flight from Boston Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts to Atlanta Hartsfield International Airport(ATL), Atlanta, Georgia. The flight was operated under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight. One passenger was seriously injured and one of the 4 flight attendants experienced a minor injury. None of the 2 flight crew, other 3 flight attendants, or other 180 passengers was injured. The airplane was not damaged, and continued the flight to Atlanta. The flight crew reported that while in cruise flight at FL340, approximately 200 miles northeast of the destination, they were in an area of forecast convective weather and were maneuvering between two cells when they inadvertantly entered the edge of a cumulus buildup at the time of the turbulence. The seat belt sign was illuminated at this time, but the passenger was out of her seat and fell, resulting in a broken ankle. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Turbulence-Convective turbulence-Effect on personnel - C
  • F Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action selection-Passenger - F

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2011_DCA11CA060.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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