Narrative:

Flight operated from fll-atl. The preflight taxi, departure, climb, cruise and initial descent phases of flight were uneventful and normal. All aircraft system were observed to be functioning normally. Before beginning the descent phase of flight, the seat belt sign was turned 'on' because we encountered some light chop. Previously the seat belt sign had been 'on' for most of the climb out due to occasional light chop, but 'off' at cruise altitude. While at FL370, flight had inquired from ATC as to any ride reports and ATC responded they had not received any 'complaints.' flight experienced some light chop during the latter cruise phase, which prompted the seat belt sign being turned 'on' and it remained 'on' thereafter. The aircraft radar was 'on' and depicted no convective activity or radar returns in the route of flight's descent. During the initial descent ZTL cleared us to descend to a lower altitude (FL240 I believe), and asked us to expedite our descent. Flight was not advised by ATC nor overheard any reports of 'rough air' in the vicinity of its route of flight. In descent at or about FL290, we were descending in the clouds when we experienced severe in-cloud turbulence, lasting approximately 5-10 seconds. The turbulence ended just as abruptly as it began as we cleared the clouds. I immediately contacted ZTL with a PIREP of turbulence between FL290-280 during our descent. After the sudden onset of turbulence, the first notification to the cockpit of injuries was made by a former xyz air carrier flight attendant X who reported via the aft interphone station that flight attendants were 'down and injured and needed medical attention' in the rear of the aircraft. I immediately contacted ZTL and requested immediate priority handling into atl because we had medical emergencys and needed medical assistance. I then made a PA to advise the passenger we were expediting our arrival into atl to receive medical assistance. I contacted the front flight attendant station and spoke with flight attendant Y and inquired as to the extent of the injuries and requested her to assist in the rear of the aircraft and inform me as to her needs and progress. Flight attendant Y brought a passenger with medical expertise to the cockpit door who reported that the injured had lacerations, concussions and back injuries. During the approach phase I received an interphone call from the on-board-leader Z, which provided an updated report as to injuries and expressed the need for additional medical assistance upon arrival. Atl approach expedited our descent and approach and we landed on runway 27R. We taxied without delay to gate X. As we were taxiing the aircraft to the gate, first officer made an announcement instructing passenger to remain seated to allow emergency medical personnel access to the injured. Atl medical emergency vehicles were waiting to assist us at gate X. After parking the aircraft, we completed the shutdown procedures. Emergency medical personnel entered the aircraft and proceeded to the rear to assist the injured passenger and flight attendants. The other passenger remained calm and stayed in their seats for about an additional 10 mins so as not to clog the aisles for the emt's. After it was determined that it was most expeditious to use the aft service door to off-load the injured the seat belt sign was turned off and the passenger deplaned. After all passenger had deplaned and all injured had been tended to, we debriefed with airline representatives from the chief pilot's office.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B767-300 ENCOUNTERS UNFORECAST TURB IN THE DSCNT, INJURING SOME FLT ATTENDANTS AND PAX OVER DUB, GA.

Narrative: FLT OPERATED FROM FLL-ATL. THE PREFLT TAXI, DEP, CLB, CRUISE AND INITIAL DSCNT PHASES OF FLT WERE UNEVENTFUL AND NORMAL. ALL ACFT SYS WERE OBSERVED TO BE FUNCTIONING NORMALLY. BEFORE BEGINNING THE DSCNT PHASE OF FLT, THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS TURNED 'ON' BECAUSE WE ENCOUNTERED SOME LIGHT CHOP. PREVIOUSLY THE SEAT BELT SIGN HAD BEEN 'ON' FOR MOST OF THE CLBOUT DUE TO OCCASIONAL LIGHT CHOP, BUT 'OFF' AT CRUISE ALT. WHILE AT FL370, FLT HAD INQUIRED FROM ATC AS TO ANY RIDE RPTS AND ATC RESPONDED THEY HAD NOT RECEIVED ANY 'COMPLAINTS.' FLT EXPERIENCED SOME LIGHT CHOP DURING THE LATTER CRUISE PHASE, WHICH PROMPTED THE SEAT BELT SIGN BEING TURNED 'ON' AND IT REMAINED 'ON' THEREAFTER. THE ACFT RADAR WAS 'ON' AND DEPICTED NO CONVECTIVE ACTIVITY OR RADAR RETURNS IN THE RTE OF FLT'S DSCNT. DURING THE INITIAL DSCNT ZTL CLRED US TO DSND TO A LOWER ALT (FL240 I BELIEVE), AND ASKED US TO EXPEDITE OUR DSCNT. FLT WAS NOT ADVISED BY ATC NOR OVERHEARD ANY RPTS OF 'ROUGH AIR' IN THE VICINITY OF ITS RTE OF FLT. IN DSCNT AT OR ABOUT FL290, WE WERE DSNDING IN THE CLOUDS WHEN WE EXPERIENCED SEVERE IN-CLOUD TURB, LASTING APPROX 5-10 SECONDS. THE TURB ENDED JUST AS ABRUPTLY AS IT BEGAN AS WE CLRED THE CLOUDS. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED ZTL WITH A PIREP OF TURB BTWN FL290-280 DURING OUR DSCNT. AFTER THE SUDDEN ONSET OF TURB, THE FIRST NOTIFICATION TO THE COCKPIT OF INJURIES WAS MADE BY A FORMER XYZ ACR FLT ATTENDANT X WHO RPTED VIA THE AFT INTERPHONE STATION THAT FLT ATTENDANTS WERE 'DOWN AND INJURED AND NEEDED MEDICAL ATTN' IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT. I IMMEDIATELY CONTACTED ZTL AND REQUESTED IMMEDIATE PRIORITY HANDLING INTO ATL BECAUSE WE HAD MEDICAL EMERS AND NEEDED MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. I THEN MADE A PA TO ADVISE THE PAX WE WERE EXPEDITING OUR ARR INTO ATL TO RECEIVE MEDICAL ASSISTANCE. I CONTACTED THE FRONT FLT ATTENDANT STATION AND SPOKE WITH FLT ATTENDANT Y AND INQUIRED AS TO THE EXTENT OF THE INJURIES AND REQUESTED HER TO ASSIST IN THE REAR OF THE ACFT AND INFORM ME AS TO HER NEEDS AND PROGRESS. FLT ATTENDANT Y BROUGHT A PAX WITH MEDICAL EXPERTISE TO THE COCKPIT DOOR WHO RPTED THAT THE INJURED HAD LACERATIONS, CONCUSSIONS AND BACK INJURIES. DURING THE APCH PHASE I RECEIVED AN INTERPHONE CALL FROM THE ON-BOARD-LEADER Z, WHICH PROVIDED AN UPDATED RPT AS TO INJURIES AND EXPRESSED THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL MEDICAL ASSISTANCE UPON ARR. ATL APCH EXPEDITED OUR DSCNT AND APCH AND WE LANDED ON RWY 27R. WE TAXIED WITHOUT DELAY TO GATE X. AS WE WERE TAXIING THE ACFT TO THE GATE, FO MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT INSTRUCTING PAX TO REMAIN SEATED TO ALLOW EMER MEDICAL PERSONNEL ACCESS TO THE INJURED. ATL MEDICAL EMER VEHICLES WERE WAITING TO ASSIST US AT GATE X. AFTER PARKING THE ACFT, WE COMPLETED THE SHUTDOWN PROCS. EMER MEDICAL PERSONNEL ENTERED THE ACFT AND PROCEEDED TO THE REAR TO ASSIST THE INJURED PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS. THE OTHER PAX REMAINED CALM AND STAYED IN THEIR SEATS FOR ABOUT AN ADDITIONAL 10 MINS SO AS NOT TO CLOG THE AISLES FOR THE EMT'S. AFTER IT WAS DETERMINED THAT IT WAS MOST EXPEDITIOUS TO USE THE AFT SVC DOOR TO OFF-LOAD THE INJURED THE SEAT BELT SIGN WAS TURNED OFF AND THE PAX DEPLANED. AFTER ALL PAX HAD DEPLANED AND ALL INJURED HAD BEEN TENDED TO, WE DEBRIEFED WITH AIRLINE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE CHIEF PLT'S OFFICE.

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.