Incident Overview

Date: Sunday 5 December 2021
Aircraft Type: Airbus A350-941
Owner/operator: Air Cara‹bes Atlantique
Registration Number: F-HNET
Location: near Cayenne – ÿ French Guiana
Phase of Flight: Approach
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 153
Component Affected: Aircraft Flight Controls & Navigation SystemsAircraft Flight Controls & Navigation Systems
Investigating Agency: BEABEA
Category: Accident
During descent to Cayenne, an aircraft experienced turbulence resulting in three cabin crew members losing their balance. The pilots proactively instructed passengers to remain secured, mitigating potential injuries. A brief, sudden turbulence caused accelerations, leading to the Chief Cabin Officer’s serious injury and the injuries of two other cabin crew members. This turbulence was likely triggered by a nearby convective cell, which the crew underestimated in its extent and distance.During descent to Cayenne, an aircraft experienced turbulence resulting in three cabin crew members losing their balance. The pilots proactively instructed passengers to remain secured, mitigating potential injuries. A brief, sudden turbulence caused accelerations, leading to the Chief Cabin Officer’s serious injury and the injuries of two other cabin crew members. This turbulence was likely triggered by a nearby convective cell, which the crew underestimated in its extent and distance.

Description

During the descent to Cayenne, after flying through FL100, the aircraft encountered turbulence which caused three cabin crew members to lose their balance. One cabin crew member was seriously injured Scenario During the flight and especially in the minutes preceding the accident, the pilots had well identified the risk of turbulence and had applied the adequate procedures by asking all the occupants, including the cabin crew, to remain strapped in, which allowed to avoid possible injuries. The first areas of turbulence were thus crossed without incident. Passing FL100, being out of the clouds and thinking that the turbulence had passed, the captain authorized the flight crews at the back of the aircraft to finish preparing the cabin for landing. A few minutes later, a brief and sudden turbulence caused accelerations that unbalanced the Chief Cabin Officer, seriously injuring him, and two cabin crew. This area of turbulence was probably generated by a nearby convective cell, which the crew was unable to detect or whose distance or extent of influence they may have underestimated.

Source of Information

https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/accident-to-the-airbus-a350-registered-f-hnet-operated-by-air-caraibes-on-05-12-2021-near-cayenne/https://bea.aero/en/investigation-reports/notified-events/detail/accident-to-the-airbus-a350-registered-f-hnet-operated-by-air-caraibes-on-05-12-2021-near-cayenne/

Primary Cause

Turbulence caused by a nearby convective cell.Turbulence caused by a nearby convective cell.

Share on:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *