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WPR13CA016

2012-10-16 · Las Vegas, Nevada, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport KLAS

Current FAA registration · N625SW

Make / Model
BOEING 737-3H4
Year of manufacture
1996 · 16 years old at event
Engine
CFM INTL. CFM56 SERIES (2200 hp)
Seats / Engines
149 seats · 2 engines
Last airworthiness date
19960423
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A82A75

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The flight attendant's encounter with an unseen obstruction in the aisle, which resulted in a fall.

Factual narrative

Southwest Airlines reported that during a flight from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to Las Vegas, Nevada, while at cruise, a flight attendant that was conducting beverage service tripped over a passenger's leg that was protruding into the isle. The flight attendant fell and felt pain in her knee and foot. She did not resume her duties during the flight. After landing she self reported to a local hospital where it was determined that she had a metatarsal fractured in her left foot. There were no mechanical difficulties or anomalies with the airplane during the flight and the event was not related to turbulence. Southwest Airlines personnel reported that, during cruise flight between Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Las Vegas, Nevada, a flight attendant who was conducting beverage service tripped over a passenger's leg that was protruding into the aisle. The flight attendant fell and felt pain in her left knee and foot. She did not resume her flight attendant duties during the flight. After landing she went to a local hospital, where medical personnel determined that she had a fractured metatarsal in her left foot. There were no mechanical difficulties or anomalies with the airplane during the flight, and the event was not related to turbulence. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Environmental issues-Task environment-Physical workspace-Positioning/available space-Effect on personnel - C
  • — Personnel issues-Physical-Impairment/incapacitation-Illness/injury-Cabin crew

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2012_WPR13CA016.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

Related research

Matched on aircraft type or causal vocabulary (turbulence). All research papers