An air carrier captain reports a severe flight attendant injury due to a liquor cart tipping over in...

Narrative:

Flight attendant was severely injured by a fallen liquor cart. I would like to bring to the attention of the FAA the inherent instability of the galley carts and ease with which they can be pushed over. While investigating the area of the back galley; it was apparent to me that the floor was irregular with deep seams. [Some] carts are much lighter than [other] galley carts along with [some] being excessively worn and unstable. In addition the liquor carts are loaded very top heavy. The top positions consist of ice and soda bins; all of which are much heavier than the liquor mini's and other miscellaneous items in the lower bins. [Some] carts themselves are much lighter than [other] galley carts which make them less stable. With the wheels remaining on the floor; one can flex the cart side to side by as much as six inches. The wheels play a role in the ease with which the cart may be tipped over. When the wheels are facing to the sides of the cart; the cart is much more easily pushed over. Lastly; another factor is the aircraft's pitch and roll characteristics. The pitch at the time was approximately three degrees nose up (mach .78). I am unaware of any turns at the time of the accident. A combination of all the above factors; make it extremely easy to tip the cart onto its side. I can push the cart over with very little effort; and by pushing with only with my index finger.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: An Air Carrier Captain reports a severe Flight Attendant injury due to a liquor cart tipping over in flight. He believes the carts are poorly designed and loaded in a top heavy condition. This condition can easily lead to carts tipping over.

Narrative: Flight Attendant was severely injured by a fallen liquor cart. I would like to bring to the attention of the FAA the inherent instability of the galley carts and ease with which they can be pushed over. While investigating the area of the back galley; it was apparent to me that the floor was irregular with deep seams. [Some] carts are much lighter than [other] galley carts along with [some] being excessively worn and unstable. In addition the liquor carts are loaded very top heavy. The top positions consist of ice and soda bins; all of which are much heavier than the liquor mini's and other miscellaneous items in the lower bins. [Some] carts themselves are much lighter than [other] galley carts which make them less stable. With the wheels remaining on the floor; one can flex the cart side to side by as much as six inches. The wheels play a role in the ease with which the cart may be tipped over. When the wheels are facing to the sides of the cart; the cart is much more easily pushed over. Lastly; another factor is the aircraft's pitch and roll characteristics. The pitch at the time was approximately three degrees nose up (Mach .78). I am unaware of any turns at the time of the accident. A combination of all the above factors; make it extremely easy to tip the cart onto its side. I can push the cart over with very little effort; and by pushing with only with my index finger.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.

Attributes
ACN	1197669
Time
Date	201408
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	Commercial Fixed Wing
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Cruise
Flight Plan	IFR
Component
Aircraft Component	Galley Furnishing
Person 1
Function	Captain
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 240 Flight Crew Total 22000 Flight Crew Type 6000
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Flight Deck / Cabin / Aircraft Event Illness

An air carrier captain reports a severe flight attendant injury due to a liquor cart tipping over in flight. He believes the carts are poorly designed and loaded in a top heavy condition. This condition can easily lead to carts tipping over.