Incident Overview

Date: Monday 13 May 1974
Aircraft Type: Boeing 707-328B
Owner/operator: Air France
Registration Number: F-BLCA
Location: near O’Neill, NE – ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: En route
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants:
Component Affected: AircraftAircraft
Category: Accident
Air France Flight 004 experienced moderate to severe turbulence near O’Neill, Nebraska, USA, lasting approximately 4.5 hours. Two passengers sustained serious injuries, and eleven were injured slightly. The captain directed passengers to the cabin to assess injuries and discussed them with a doctor. After a 7-hour delay, the aircraft landed at Orly Airport, Paris, France.Air France Flight 004 experienced moderate to severe turbulence near O’Neill, Nebraska, USA, lasting approximately 4.5 hours. Two passengers sustained serious injuries, and eleven were injured slightly. The captain directed passengers to the cabin to assess injuries and discussed them with a doctor. After a 7-hour delay, the aircraft landed at Orly Airport, Paris, France.

Description

Air France Flight 004, a Boeing 707-328B entered an area of light turbulence near O’Neill, Nebraska, USA. About 3 to 5 minutes later, the flight encountered moderate to severe turbulence, which lasted about 4 1/2 minutes. During the turbulence, 2 passengers were injured seriously and 11 were injured slightly. Two flight attendants were injured, one seriously. The captain went to the cabin to see the injured passengers and discussed the injuries with a passenger who was a doctor. The captain decided to continue to Paris, France, and landed the aircraft at Orly Airport, Paris, almost 7 hours after the in-flight turbulence encounter. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the operation of the aircraft in an area of very strong thunderstorm activity which should have been easily. detectable and which resulted in serious injuries to passengers because of the failure of the captain to warn the passengers and to turn on the “fasten seatbelt” sign.

Primary Cause

The operation of the aircraft in an area of very strong thunderstorm activity, which should have been easily detectable and resulted in serious injuries to passengers due to the captain’s failure to warn passengers and turn on the ?fasten seatbelt? sign.The operation of the aircraft in an area of very strong thunderstorm activity, which should have been easily detectable and resulted in serious injuries to passengers due to the captain’s failure to warn passengers and turn on the ?fasten seatbelt? sign.

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