Narrative:

Flight operating clt to pit. SIGMET for turbulence (moderate occasional severe) 15000 ft to FL370 was in effect all day and was continuing through XA00Z. 15000-17000 ft flts were reporting rides ok. This flight was filed 17000 ft. ATC advised rides reported smooth at 15000 ft and cleared flight to 15000 ft. At 15000 ft captain reported a severe jolt lasting only briefly. Captain requested paramedics meet flight as several passenger experienced minor injuries. 2 flight attendants were taken to hospital for observation. 2 passenger adamantly refused any medical treatment on the scene, but left their phone numbers if anything develops later. 3 passenger were checked by paramedics at the scene and released. No severe injuries were noted. To prevent this -- stop operation completely is only way to avoid any turbulence to aircraft or passenger. There was no feasible way to file flight plan around turbulence area to get out of area completely. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter is a dispatcher for a major air carrier. She said that this turbulence incident occurred during several days of moderate to severe turbulence that affected most of the east coast and some of the midwest of this country. The dispatcher said that flts were planned to, as much as possible, avoid known severe turbulence. On this flight she was unable to plan the cruising altitude lower than 17000 ft because of minimum altitudes over a mountainous portion of the route. However, once en route the flight crew was able to get 15000 ft from the ARTCC radar controller. They hit the turbulence anyway. Although the seat belt signs were on and several announcements about the requirements to wear them were made, some injuries did occur. The dispatcher said that she started to coordinate with the operations personnel to arrange for paramedics and maintenance personnel to meet the flight at its destination. The condition of the injured did not warrant a diversion. After the injured were taken care of, maintenance inspected the aircraft and had the interior cleaned. The aircraft was returned to service the next day with no damage. The reporter said that she checked the crew for several days and neither the pilots or cabin attendants had lingering injuries.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN ACR DISPATCHER RPTS THAT A FLT THAT SHE WAS MONITORING ENCOUNTERED SEVERE TURB THAT RESULTED IN MINOR INJURIES TO PAX AND CABIN ATTENDANTS, BUT NO DAMAGE TO THE ACFT.

Narrative: FLT OPERATING CLT TO PIT. SIGMET FOR TURB (MODERATE OCCASIONAL SEVERE) 15000 FT TO FL370 WAS IN EFFECT ALL DAY AND WAS CONTINUING THROUGH XA00Z. 15000-17000 FT FLTS WERE RPTING RIDES OK. THIS FLT WAS FILED 17000 FT. ATC ADVISED RIDES RPTED SMOOTH AT 15000 FT AND CLRED FLT TO 15000 FT. AT 15000 FT CAPT RPTED A SEVERE JOLT LASTING ONLY BRIEFLY. CAPT REQUESTED PARAMEDICS MEET FLT AS SEVERAL PAX EXPERIENCED MINOR INJURIES. 2 FLT ATTENDANTS WERE TAKEN TO HOSPITAL FOR OBSERVATION. 2 PAX ADAMANTLY REFUSED ANY MEDICAL TREATMENT ON THE SCENE, BUT LEFT THEIR PHONE NUMBERS IF ANYTHING DEVELOPS LATER. 3 PAX WERE CHKED BY PARAMEDICS AT THE SCENE AND RELEASED. NO SEVERE INJURIES WERE NOTED. TO PREVENT THIS -- STOP OP COMPLETELY IS ONLY WAY TO AVOID ANY TURB TO ACFT OR PAX. THERE WAS NO FEASIBLE WAY TO FILE FLT PLAN AROUND TURB AREA TO GET OUT OF AREA COMPLETELY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR IS A DISPATCHER FOR A MAJOR ACR. SHE SAID THAT THIS TURB INCIDENT OCCURRED DURING SEVERAL DAYS OF MODERATE TO SEVERE TURB THAT AFFECTED MOST OF THE EAST COAST AND SOME OF THE MIDWEST OF THIS COUNTRY. THE DISPATCHER SAID THAT FLTS WERE PLANNED TO, AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, AVOID KNOWN SEVERE TURB. ON THIS FLT SHE WAS UNABLE TO PLAN THE CRUISING ALT LOWER THAN 17000 FT BECAUSE OF MINIMUM ALTS OVER A MOUNTAINOUS PORTION OF THE RTE. HOWEVER, ONCE ENRTE THE FLC WAS ABLE TO GET 15000 FT FROM THE ARTCC RADAR CTLR. THEY HIT THE TURB ANYWAY. ALTHOUGH THE SEAT BELT SIGNS WERE ON AND SEVERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS ABOUT THE REQUIREMENTS TO WEAR THEM WERE MADE, SOME INJURIES DID OCCUR. THE DISPATCHER SAID THAT SHE STARTED TO COORDINATE WITH THE OPS PERSONNEL TO ARRANGE FOR PARAMEDICS AND MAINT PERSONNEL TO MEET THE FLT AT ITS DEST. THE CONDITION OF THE INJURED DID NOT WARRANT A DIVERSION. AFTER THE INJURED WERE TAKEN CARE OF, MAINT INSPECTED THE ACFT AND HAD THE INTERIOR CLEANED. THE ACFT WAS RETURNED TO SVC THE NEXT DAY WITH NO DAMAGE. THE RPTR SAID THAT SHE CHKED THE CREW FOR SEVERAL DAYS AND NEITHER THE PLTS OR CABIN ATTENDANTS HAD LINGERING INJURIES.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.