Narrative:

I was flight attendant #6 and flight attendants #4 and #8 were standing in the aft area of the aircraft next to door exit at 4R with me. We were just about to pull our meal cart forward to begin the meal service when there was a sudden and intense jolt to the entire aircraft. Before this there was no turbulence and we were cruising along smoothly. After the initial jolt, we suddenly dropped in altitude what seemed to be several hundred ft and then the aircraft began to vibrate and roll from side-to-side. There was no time for us to get to a jump seat or even to grab an assist handle for safety. The #4 flight attendant and I instinctively grabbed on to each other's arms and tried to hold each other down. We dropped altitude at least 3 more times and each time we flew up off the floor several ft and landed on our backs. The meal carts flew up and landed on their sides and the #4 was able, at some point, to kick a cart to the other side of the aircraft as it came rolling towards us. We sustained multiple sprains, abrasions and neck and back injuries. Other flight attendants in the forward portion of the plane received injuries from being pinned by carts and trying to hold carts down and away from passenger. Just after takeoff out of sdq we had called the captain requesting the status of WX activity in order to plan our service. He said it was ok and not going to be any more severe than at the moment, which was fine. About 1 hour later is when the turbulence hit. After it was all over, the captain came to the back of the plane to talk to us. When we asked him what had happened he explained that 'we had gotten caught in between 2 storms and gotten clipped.' he said we were in clouds which I believe he labeled as 'cirrus.' it was not my understanding that this event was due to clear air turbulence. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the main reporter of this multiple report said that she really blamed poor cockpit communication for the injuries that she, 5 other flight attendants, and several passenger received in-flight. When planning whether to do a combined cocktail and meal service or 2 services, she called the captain and specifically asked about the WX forecast, since there is frequent turbulence over the caribbean. He told her there would be no WX problems and that they could do the service in the standard way. More passenger weren't hurt, because the flight attendants had them strapped in for the meal service. 1 woman was in the lavatory when the turbulence hit, and rushed out with her pants around her feet, because her baby was in her seat and unattended. The captain made no announcement to explain to the passenger why the plane suddenly rolled and dropped. He came back later and asked what had happened 'back there?' he told the flight attendants that they were flying between 2 storms and gotten 'clipped.' the captain had an 'uncaring attitude,' as he rushed ahead of passenger to get his bag and get off the airplane, even before the in-flight service, who met the aircraft, could talk to the purser opening the door. Supplemental information from acn 433514: approximately 2 hours into our flight, while I was visiting the cockpit, we experienced clear air turbulence. I was speaking to the pilots when suddenly, without warning, we experienced severe turbulence. It did not feel severe to me at the time because I was in the cockpit when it occurred. I had no idea the extent of the severity until I walked to the back of aircraft and discovered injured flight attendants, along with 1 injured passenger. 1 passenger complained of her neck. Many others had complaints but they were mostly due to fear. Flight attendants didn't appear to be seriously hurt -- just banged up. Because I was in the cockpit during the occurrence, I now realize why the pilots are so slow to react whenever we experience turbulence. In the cockpit, you don't feel the turbulence nearly as bad as in the back.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE RPTS BY 3 FLT ATTENDANTS STATED THAT TURB, ON AN A300 BTWN SDQ-JFK, CAUSED CABIN CREW AND PAX TO BE INJURED. NO PLT COM.

Narrative: I WAS FLT ATTENDANT #6 AND FLT ATTENDANTS #4 AND #8 WERE STANDING IN THE AFT AREA OF THE ACFT NEXT TO DOOR EXIT AT 4R WITH ME. WE WERE JUST ABOUT TO PULL OUR MEAL CART FORWARD TO BEGIN THE MEAL SVC WHEN THERE WAS A SUDDEN AND INTENSE JOLT TO THE ENTIRE ACFT. BEFORE THIS THERE WAS NO TURB AND WE WERE CRUISING ALONG SMOOTHLY. AFTER THE INITIAL JOLT, WE SUDDENLY DROPPED IN ALT WHAT SEEMED TO BE SEVERAL HUNDRED FT AND THEN THE ACFT BEGAN TO VIBRATE AND ROLL FROM SIDE-TO-SIDE. THERE WAS NO TIME FOR US TO GET TO A JUMP SEAT OR EVEN TO GRAB AN ASSIST HANDLE FOR SAFETY. THE #4 FLT ATTENDANT AND I INSTINCTIVELY GRABBED ON TO EACH OTHER'S ARMS AND TRIED TO HOLD EACH OTHER DOWN. WE DROPPED ALT AT LEAST 3 MORE TIMES AND EACH TIME WE FLEW UP OFF THE FLOOR SEVERAL FT AND LANDED ON OUR BACKS. THE MEAL CARTS FLEW UP AND LANDED ON THEIR SIDES AND THE #4 WAS ABLE, AT SOME POINT, TO KICK A CART TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ACFT AS IT CAME ROLLING TOWARDS US. WE SUSTAINED MULTIPLE SPRAINS, ABRASIONS AND NECK AND BACK INJURIES. OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE FORWARD PORTION OF THE PLANE RECEIVED INJURIES FROM BEING PINNED BY CARTS AND TRYING TO HOLD CARTS DOWN AND AWAY FROM PAX. JUST AFTER TKOF OUT OF SDQ WE HAD CALLED THE CAPT REQUESTING THE STATUS OF WX ACTIVITY IN ORDER TO PLAN OUR SVC. HE SAID IT WAS OK AND NOT GOING TO BE ANY MORE SEVERE THAN AT THE MOMENT, WHICH WAS FINE. ABOUT 1 HR LATER IS WHEN THE TURB HIT. AFTER IT WAS ALL OVER, THE CAPT CAME TO THE BACK OF THE PLANE TO TALK TO US. WHEN WE ASKED HIM WHAT HAD HAPPENED HE EXPLAINED THAT 'WE HAD GOTTEN CAUGHT IN BTWN 2 STORMS AND GOTTEN CLIPPED.' HE SAID WE WERE IN CLOUDS WHICH I BELIEVE HE LABELED AS 'CIRRUS.' IT WAS NOT MY UNDERSTANDING THAT THIS EVENT WAS DUE TO CLR AIR TURB. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE MAIN RPTR OF THIS MULTIPLE RPT SAID THAT SHE REALLY BLAMED POOR COCKPIT COM FOR THE INJURIES THAT SHE, 5 OTHER FLT ATTENDANTS, AND SEVERAL PAX RECEIVED INFLT. WHEN PLANNING WHETHER TO DO A COMBINED COCKTAIL AND MEAL SVC OR 2 SVCS, SHE CALLED THE CAPT AND SPECIFICALLY ASKED ABOUT THE WX FORECAST, SINCE THERE IS FREQUENT TURB OVER THE CARIBBEAN. HE TOLD HER THERE WOULD BE NO WX PROBS AND THAT THEY COULD DO THE SVC IN THE STANDARD WAY. MORE PAX WEREN'T HURT, BECAUSE THE FLT ATTENDANTS HAD THEM STRAPPED IN FOR THE MEAL SVC. 1 WOMAN WAS IN THE LAVATORY WHEN THE TURB HIT, AND RUSHED OUT WITH HER PANTS AROUND HER FEET, BECAUSE HER BABY WAS IN HER SEAT AND UNATTENDED. THE CAPT MADE NO ANNOUNCEMENT TO EXPLAIN TO THE PAX WHY THE PLANE SUDDENLY ROLLED AND DROPPED. HE CAME BACK LATER AND ASKED WHAT HAD HAPPENED 'BACK THERE?' HE TOLD THE FLT ATTENDANTS THAT THEY WERE FLYING BTWN 2 STORMS AND GOTTEN 'CLIPPED.' THE CAPT HAD AN 'UNCARING ATTITUDE,' AS HE RUSHED AHEAD OF PAX TO GET HIS BAG AND GET OFF THE AIRPLANE, EVEN BEFORE THE INFLT SVC, WHO MET THE ACFT, COULD TALK TO THE PURSER OPENING THE DOOR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 433514: APPROX 2 HRS INTO OUR FLT, WHILE I WAS VISITING THE COCKPIT, WE EXPERIENCED CLR AIR TURB. I WAS SPEAKING TO THE PLTS WHEN SUDDENLY, WITHOUT WARNING, WE EXPERIENCED SEVERE TURB. IT DID NOT FEEL SEVERE TO ME AT THE TIME BECAUSE I WAS IN THE COCKPIT WHEN IT OCCURRED. I HAD NO IDEA THE EXTENT OF THE SEVERITY UNTIL I WALKED TO THE BACK OF ACFT AND DISCOVERED INJURED FLT ATTENDANTS, ALONG WITH 1 INJURED PAX. 1 PAX COMPLAINED OF HER NECK. MANY OTHERS HAD COMPLAINTS BUT THEY WERE MOSTLY DUE TO FEAR. FLT ATTENDANTS DIDN'T APPEAR TO BE SERIOUSLY HURT -- JUST BANGED UP. BECAUSE I WAS IN THE COCKPIT DURING THE OCCURRENCE, I NOW REALIZE WHY THE PLTS ARE SO SLOW TO REACT WHENEVER WE EXPERIENCE TURB. IN THE COCKPIT, YOU DON'T FEEL THE TURB NEARLY AS BAD AS IN THE BACK.

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.