Narrative:

Upon serving breakfast at rear of aircraft, captain turned on seat belt sign, made announcement. I locked cart at 4R, started to do compliance check. First drop set me down hard on center arm rest, then I hit the ceiling and came down and landed on cart. Went up, hit the ceiling again, and came down on empty last center row of seats, hurting back, neck, jaw, arm, etc. Captain gave no preflight briefing. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter sustained serious injuries due to this incident and went to the hospital in an ambulance with passenger upon arrival at destination. In-flight, carts with hot food and beverages were thrown from the floor toward the ceiling. Reporter states that the turbulence hit immediately after the seat belt announcement was made and she was in the cabin in the aisle in the middle of a meal service. Reporter's first concern upon hearing the announcement was to check passenger seat belt compliance which she was on her way to do after securing her cart from the aisle where she was serving passenger. There was no time or warning. Reporter stressed the importance of a preflight briefing with flight crew concerning WX and the necessity to make adjustments to the planned meal services in the cabin with carts in the aisle, hot food and trays at the passenger seats. Reporter states flight crew came aboard while passenger were boarding at departure and no safety briefing was conducted.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AT CRUISE ON BOARD DC10, UNEXPECTED TURB HIT, INJURING FLT ATTENDANT.

Narrative: UPON SERVING BREAKFAST AT REAR OF ACFT, CAPT TURNED ON SEAT BELT SIGN, MADE ANNOUNCEMENT. I LOCKED CART AT 4R, STARTED TO DO COMPLIANCE CHK. FIRST DROP SET ME DOWN HARD ON CTR ARM REST, THEN I HIT THE CEILING AND CAME DOWN AND LANDED ON CART. WENT UP, HIT THE CEILING AGAIN, AND CAME DOWN ON EMPTY LAST CTR ROW OF SEATS, HURTING BACK, NECK, JAW, ARM, ETC. CAPT GAVE NO PREFLT BRIEFING. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SUSTAINED SERIOUS INJURIES DUE TO THIS INCIDENT AND WENT TO THE HOSPITAL IN AN AMBULANCE WITH PAX UPON ARR AT DEST. INFLT, CARTS WITH HOT FOOD AND BEVERAGES WERE THROWN FROM THE FLOOR TOWARD THE CEILING. RPTR STATES THAT THE TURB HIT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE SEAT BELT ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE AND SHE WAS IN THE CABIN IN THE AISLE IN THE MIDDLE OF A MEAL SVC. RPTR'S FIRST CONCERN UPON HEARING THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS TO CHK PAX SEAT BELT COMPLIANCE WHICH SHE WAS ON HER WAY TO DO AFTER SECURING HER CART FROM THE AISLE WHERE SHE WAS SERVING PAX. THERE WAS NO TIME OR WARNING. RPTR STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF A PREFLT BRIEFING WITH FLC CONCERNING WX AND THE NECESSITY TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS TO THE PLANNED MEAL SVCS IN THE CABIN WITH CARTS IN THE AISLE, HOT FOOD AND TRAYS AT THE PAX SEATS. RPTR STATES FLC CAME ABOARD WHILE PAX WERE BOARDING AT DEP AND NO SAFETY BRIEFING WAS CONDUCTED.

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.