DEN03LA063
2003-04-05 · Pueblo, Colorado, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
in-flight encounter with turbulence.
Factual narrative
0n April 5, 2003, at approximately 2015 mountain standard time, an Airbus Industrie A319-111, N917FR, owned by Frontier Airlines, Inc., and operating as flight 133, encountered turbulence near Pueblo, Colorado. The captain, first officer, one flight attendant, and 59 passengers were not injured. However, one flight attendant was seriously injured and one received minor injuries. The airplane was not damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The scheduled domestic passenger flight was being operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 121. The flight originated at 1945 from Denver, Colorado, and was en route to Dallas, Texas. The captain stated that the airplane was climbing when they encountered light turbulence at 22,000 feet over Pueblo, Colorado. One of the pilots called to the flight attendants and asked them to sit down. According to the captain, 30 to 60 seconds later the airplane encountered severe turbulence. One flight attendant fractured two metatarsal bones in her left foot, and another flight attendant received minor injuries. The airplane returned to Denver without further incident. The weather packet, issued by the company and ATC reported that nothing more than light turbulence was to be expected. There were no returns on the radar in the immediate vicinity of Pueblo, Colorado. The captain stated that the airplane was climbing when they encountered light turbulence at 22,000 feet. One of the pilots called to the flight attendants and asked them to sit down. According to the captain, 30 to 60 seconds later the airplane encountered severe turbulence. One flight attendant fractured two metatarsal bones in her left foot, and another flight attendant received minor injuries. The airplane returned to the airport without further incident. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2003_DEN03LA063.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence). All research papers
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- Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons 2025 · Journal article (JAAER) Political Turbulence and Aviation Safety: A Cross-National Analysis of Political Stability's Effects on Aviation Accidents
To what extent does political stability affect aviation safety? This research aims to link domestic political conditions and public safety through the consideration of aviation accident frequency.
- arXiv 2024 · arXiv preprint Does small-scale turbulence matter for ice growth in mixed-phase clouds?
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- arXiv 2023 · arXiv preprint Effects of electrostatic interaction on clustering and collision of bidispersed inertial particles in homogeneous and isotropic turbulence
In sandstorms and thunderclouds, turbulence-induced collisions between solid particles and ice crystals lead to inevitable triboelectrification.
- SKYbrary (Eurocontrol) 2023 · SKYbrary article Wake Vortex Turbulence — SKYbrary Knowledge Base
SKYbrary wake vortex turbulence comprehensive article — generation mechanics, dissipation factors, separation standards (ICAO LIGHT/MEDIUM/HEAVY/SUPER + recategorisation RECAT-EU).