At cruise onboard B757, severe turbulence encountered causing passenger and cabin attendant injuries...

Narrative:

I believe at the time of the occurrence, a thunderstorm was on the horizon and the aircraft, I am told by the cockpit, was headed for the thunderstorm. I believe our flight plan should have tried to divert us around this storm instead of through this area. However, I do believe our captain had no idea that this would happen. It just hit us so suddenly. But another crew member who was a passenger onboard stated that we were going through the storm at the time of the turbulence. We were about 30-40 mins out of miami and our aircraft began to get bumpy. We were doing our beverage service and we hit an air pocket that was pretty bad but right after that, we hit the clear air turbulence and our cart flew as high as the aircraft armrests. Both myself and the other flight attendants hit our head on the aircraft ceiling. The cart came back down twisted and on top of the armrests. We had to lift the cart off of the armrest. Passenger as well as flight attendants were injured at this time. There were no warning signs it all happened so suddenly. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter stated that 3 cabin attendants and 6 passenger were hurt in this incident. The reporter is still out of work treating a neck and back injury and knows of 2 other cabin attendants that were on this flight that are being treated for neck problems. Reporter was working in the aft of the aircraft as were the other flight attendants who were injured. The passenger that were injured were in the restroom despite the warning of the cabin attendants to remain seated. The 4 other passenger that were injured did not have their seat belts fastened. Reporter states that there was no briefing on the ground by the captain to notify the cabin attendants or ensuing bad WX. Also in-flight, there was no announcement by the flight crew that there was WX and to remain seated until it was safe. Hence the cabin attendants were up in the aisles with the carts. Normal procedure is if the cabin attendants are to delay service due to WX the PIC calls and tells the cabin attendants to remain seated and makes an announcement to the passenger that WX at that time prohibits services and the cabin attendants are to remain seated until the PIC releases the seat belt sign. This did not happen. Supplemental information from acn 411268: we had no warning. No one in my immediate area was hurt. I believe it's because it's the forward of the aircraft and you don't feel the turbulence as severely as the aft. Supplemental information from acn 411276: I was flying aircraft (B757) 100 NM north of tampa deviating along line of cells along coast. We were cleared to deviate and then direct crestview. As we turned towards clear air we received a couple of bumps of chop. Nothing was being painted on the radar. Captain took aircraft and slowed down. The chop lasted for about 2-3 seconds. After assessing the tail section of the cabin we elected to return to mia for medial assistance to passenger and crew. The seat belt sign was on during the chop incident. A smooth overweight landing was made on runway 9R at mia.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AT CRUISE ONBOARD B757, SEVERE TURB ENCOUNTERED CAUSING PAX AND CABIN ATTENDANT INJURIES IN THE AFT OF THE ACFT. FLC RETURNED TO MIA FOR MEDICAL ASSISTANCE.

Narrative: I BELIEVE AT THE TIME OF THE OCCURRENCE, A TSTM WAS ON THE HORIZON AND THE ACFT, I AM TOLD BY THE COCKPIT, WAS HEADED FOR THE TSTM. I BELIEVE OUR FLT PLAN SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO DIVERT US AROUND THIS STORM INSTEAD OF THROUGH THIS AREA. HOWEVER, I DO BELIEVE OUR CAPT HAD NO IDEA THAT THIS WOULD HAPPEN. IT JUST HIT US SO SUDDENLY. BUT ANOTHER CREW MEMBER WHO WAS A PAX ONBOARD STATED THAT WE WERE GOING THROUGH THE STORM AT THE TIME OF THE TURB. WE WERE ABOUT 30-40 MINS OUT OF MIAMI AND OUR ACFT BEGAN TO GET BUMPY. WE WERE DOING OUR BEVERAGE SVC AND WE HIT AN AIR POCKET THAT WAS PRETTY BAD BUT RIGHT AFTER THAT, WE HIT THE CLR AIR TURB AND OUR CART FLEW AS HIGH AS THE ACFT ARMRESTS. BOTH MYSELF AND THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS HIT OUR HEAD ON THE ACFT CEILING. THE CART CAME BACK DOWN TWISTED AND ON TOP OF THE ARMRESTS. WE HAD TO LIFT THE CART OFF OF THE ARMREST. PAX AS WELL AS FLT ATTENDANTS WERE INJURED AT THIS TIME. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS IT ALL HAPPENED SO SUDDENLY. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT 3 CABIN ATTENDANTS AND 6 PAX WERE HURT IN THIS INCIDENT. THE RPTR IS STILL OUT OF WORK TREATING A NECK AND BACK INJURY AND KNOWS OF 2 OTHER CABIN ATTENDANTS THAT WERE ON THIS FLT THAT ARE BEING TREATED FOR NECK PROBS. RPTR WAS WORKING IN THE AFT OF THE ACFT AS WERE THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS WHO WERE INJURED. THE PAX THAT WERE INJURED WERE IN THE RESTROOM DESPITE THE WARNING OF THE CABIN ATTENDANTS TO REMAIN SEATED. THE 4 OTHER PAX THAT WERE INJURED DID NOT HAVE THEIR SEAT BELTS FASTENED. RPTR STATES THAT THERE WAS NO BRIEFING ON THE GND BY THE CAPT TO NOTIFY THE CABIN ATTENDANTS OR ENSUING BAD WX. ALSO INFLT, THERE WAS NO ANNOUNCEMENT BY THE FLC THAT THERE WAS WX AND TO REMAIN SEATED UNTIL IT WAS SAFE. HENCE THE CABIN ATTENDANTS WERE UP IN THE AISLES WITH THE CARTS. NORMAL PROC IS IF THE CABIN ATTENDANTS ARE TO DELAY SVC DUE TO WX THE PIC CALLS AND TELLS THE CABIN ATTENDANTS TO REMAIN SEATED AND MAKES AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO THE PAX THAT WX AT THAT TIME PROHIBITS SVCS AND THE CABIN ATTENDANTS ARE TO REMAIN SEATED UNTIL THE PIC RELEASES THE SEAT BELT SIGN. THIS DID NOT HAPPEN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 411268: WE HAD NO WARNING. NO ONE IN MY IMMEDIATE AREA WAS HURT. I BELIEVE IT'S BECAUSE IT'S THE FORWARD OF THE ACFT AND YOU DON'T FEEL THE TURB AS SEVERELY AS THE AFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 411276: I WAS FLYING ACFT (B757) 100 NM N OF TAMPA DEVIATING ALONG LINE OF CELLS ALONG COAST. WE WERE CLRED TO DEVIATE AND THEN DIRECT CRESTVIEW. AS WE TURNED TOWARDS CLR AIR WE RECEIVED A COUPLE OF BUMPS OF CHOP. NOTHING WAS BEING PAINTED ON THE RADAR. CAPT TOOK ACFT AND SLOWED DOWN. THE CHOP LASTED FOR ABOUT 2-3 SECONDS. AFTER ASSESSING THE TAIL SECTION OF THE CABIN WE ELECTED TO RETURN TO MIA FOR MEDIAL ASSISTANCE TO PAX AND CREW. THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS ON DURING THE CHOP INCIDENT. A SMOOTH OVERWT LNDG WAS MADE ON RWY 9R AT MIA.

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.

Attributes
ACN	411050
Time
Date	199808
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	atc facility : pie
State Reference	FL
Altitude	msl bound lower : 31000 msl bound upper : 31000
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Dusk
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	artcc : zjx
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	cruise other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight attendant : on duty
Qualification	other other : other
ASRS Report	411050
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
ASRS Report	411276
Events
Anomaly	inflight encounter : weather other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	none taken : unable other
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Weather
Air Traffic Incident	other

At cruise onboard B757, severe turbulence encountered causing passenger and cabin attendant injuries in the aft of the aircraft. Flight crew returned to mia for medical assistance.