NTSB CAROL · Event
Event WPR12LA144
Registry · N247WN
FAA Aircraft Registry record.
Make / Model
BOEING 737-7H4
Year of manufacture
2006 · 6 years old at event
TCDS
A16WE · THE BOEING CO
Engine
CFM INTL CFM56-7B24
Seats / Engines
143 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
20060709
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A24C01
Registrant of record
SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO
Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).
Aircraft involved
Probable cause & findings
The airplane’s encounter with severe turbulence during cruise flight, which resulted in a serious injury to a flight attendant.
Factual narrative
HISTORY OF FLIGHT
On March 20, 2012, at 0830 central daylight time, a Boeing 737-7H4, N247WN, experienced turbulence during cruise flight near Laverne, Oklahoma. Southwest Airlines operated the airplane as Flight 162 under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121. The flight crew, 2 flight attendants, and 137 passengers were not injured; 1 flight attendant sustained serious injuries. The airplane was not damaged. An instrument flight rules (IFR) flight plan had been filed for the flight that departed Tampa International Airport (TPA), Tampa, Florida, at 0653 eastern daylight time. The flight was destined for Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Phoenix, Arizona. According to Southwest Airlines, the airplane was in cruise flight over Laverne when it encountered three turbulence jolts. The aft galley flight attendant was injured while trying to get seated and strapped into the jump seat when another turbulence jolt occurred. The flight attendant was able to perform all required safety duties for the remainder of the flight, but reported significant back pain upon arrival to Phoenix. The flight attendant was not transported to a hospital. On March 22, the flight attendant informed the company that she had been diagnosed with a rib fracture. In statements submitted by the flight attendants, they reported that there was a long duration of turbulence during cruise. When the turbulence diminished, the seatbelt sign was turned off. They got up and then it started to become turbulent again. As the two flight attendants in the back of the airplane attempted to secure themselves in the aft jumpseats, one of them was thrown across the galley and hit her back/ribs on an object.
FLIGHT RECORDERS
Data obtained from the flight data recorder (FDR) showed that the airplane climbed to flight level 380 shortly after departure. About 0824, winds aloft speed calculated by the flight management computer (FMC) was about 140 knots from about 160 degrees true. For about 5 minutes around this time at flight level 380, vertical accelerations fluctuated between about 0.75g and 1.2g; lateral accelerations also fluctuated during this period, between about +/- 0.05g. At 0827, the airplane descended from flight 380 to flight level 340. Shortly after the descent began, the fluctuations in vertical and lateral accelerations decreased, fluctuating between 0.997g and 1.004g and +/- 0.01g, respectively. After 9 minutes at flight level 340, during the period of otherwise decreased vertical and lateral accelerations, the vertical acceleration varied from about 0.255g to 1.7g within a 1-second period of time at 08:38:20. About 20 minutes after this vertical acceleration encounter, the FMC calculated a decrease in winds aloft at flight level 320 to under 30 knots for about 12 minutes; during this 12-minute period the winds aloft shifted from about 160 degrees true to 340 degrees true. Because this was not determined to be an accident until 2 days after the event, the cockpit voice recorder information was written over by normal use.
METEOROLOGICAL INFORMATION
A Senior Meteorologist completed a weather study. A 250-hectopascal (hPa) analysis chart obtained from the Storm Prediction Center and valid for 0700 central daylight time (CDT) identified a portion of a jet stream stretching north from central Texas into Canada. A jet streak (localized regions of very fast winds embedded within the jet stream) was identified in the vicinity of the accident location with southerly wind magnitudes greater than 150 knots. Calculations by the Rawinsonde Observation Program (RAOB) indicated the potential for significant clear-air turbulence between about 36,000 and 40,000 feet. An Airmen’s Meteorological Information (AIRMET) advisory for moderate turbulence between FL220 and FL430 was issued at 0525 CDT and was active for the accident location at the accident time. A Significant Meteorological Information (SIGMET) advisory for occasional severe turbulence between FL330 and FL380 was issued at 0526 CDT for an area west of the accident location. This SIGMET was valid until 0926 CDT. The flight had been experiencing moderate turbulence along its route. Once the turbulence had subsided, the seatbelt sign was turned off. The flight attendants had resumed their service when the flight encountered three additional turbulence jolts. The aft galley flight attendant was trying to get seated and strapped into the jumpseat but was injured when another turbulence jolt occurred. She was thrown across the galley and hit her back/ribs on an object. Flight data recorder information showed that vertical accelerations fluctuated between about 0.75 g and 1.2 g; lateral accelerations also fluctuated during this period, between about +/- 0.05 g. An airmen’s meteorological information advisory for moderate turbulence was active for the accident location at the time. A significant meteorological information advisory for occasional severe turbulence was active for an area west of the accident location. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12
NTSB Findings
Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).
- C Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Turbulence-Clear air turbulence-Effect on personnel - C
Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file
NTSB_2012_WPR12LA144.txt.
Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb.
Full investigation docket on
data.ntsb.gov ↗.
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Related research
What the literature says.
Academic papers and agency reports matching this event's aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence). Sourced from NASA NTRS, NTSB Safety Studies, FAA CAMI, AOPA Air Safety Institute, Embry-Riddle Scholarly Commons, arXiv, and the Semantic Scholar academic graph.
- arXiv 2026 · arXiv preprint
Direct Numerical Simulations of Ice-Ocean Boundary Turbulence
Turbulent heat and freshwater transport at ice-ocean interfaces controls glacier and iceberg melt rates, yet the underlying physics remains poorly constrained.
- 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 2025 · arXiv preprint
Explainable LiDAR 3D Point Cloud Segmentation and Clustering for Detecting Airplane-Generated Wind Turbulence
Wake vortices - strong, coherent air turbulences created by aircraft - pose a significant risk to aviation safety and therefore require accurate and reliable detection methods.
- arXiv 2024 · arXiv preprint
Does small-scale turbulence matter for ice growth in mixed-phase clouds?
Representing the glaciation of mixed-phase clouds in terms of the Wegener-Bergeron-Findeisen process is a challenge for many weather and climate models, which tend to overestimate this process because…
- 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).
Browse the full corpus — academia portal ↗