Narrative:

The flight had been normal, no turbulence to speak of -- a few bumps here and there along the way. At approximately XA00 the seatbelt sign was turned on to indicate our initial descent. A PA was made to fasten seatbelts securely. After the announcement, I proceeded down aircraft right to accomplish a compliance check for seatbelts. As I passed the 3R door and jumpseat, I felt a jolt and was thrown off balance into the G seat at row 24. I grabbed the 24 G seatback and tried to hold on. I remember seeing the flight attendant in front of me, who was also checking seatbelts at approximately row 21 or 20, go to the ceiling, also pillows/blankets started flying up out of the seats. My immediate thought was to get into a passenger seat and buckle in, but immediately following the first jolt before I could do anything there was a second jolt that lifted me off my feet into the air. When I came down, I landed on my chest across the armrest of 24G seat. The turbulence continued, ultimately throwing me to the floor between the front of seat 24G and the back of seat 23G. I grabbed the metal bar under seat 24G and held on until the turbulence subsided. The turbulence was still very severe and all I could do was hold on. Once the turbulence subsided and I felt I could gain control and it might be safe to get up from the floor, I climbed into the G seat at row 25 with the help from a passenger seated in 25F and was able to fasten a seatbelt around me. After a few moments to compose myself and assess the situation, I noticed a flight attendant lying in the aisle at approximately row 21 or 20. I got up and went to her. She indicated she could not move her arm and could not get up. I told her I was going to get help and would be right back. I immediately got up and saw the purser, who was strapped into jumpseat 3L. He had no idea she was down and after informing him, he came to assess her situation and condition. With the help of a passenger, we got her to her feet and into a seat so she could strap in just in case we encountered more turbulence. At this point, I started to assess the passenger and cabin conditions. We landed approximately 30 mins after the initial turbulence without further turbulence. To my knowledge approximately 10 passenger and flight attendants went to the hospital. Supplemental information from acn 636238: first officer had just returned to his seat from a bladder break and I was in the forward lavatory at the time of the turbulence event. I returned to the cockpit immediately and instructed the first officer to continue flying. The flight attendants called from the back and said that at least 6 passenger and flight attendants had been injured. I declared an emergency with center and requested expedited vectors to ZZZ. Also requested through company that medical personnel would be required at the gate. We did not receive any turbulence reports from center and there were no turbulence sigmets for our area. We landed uneventfully at ZZZ and met paramedics at the gate. Supplemental information from acn 636131: approximately 5 mi south of hoggs intersection, around FL230, we experienced 2 rapid jolts of turbulence. There were primarily altitude and airspeed changes. The autoplt kicked off and the airspeed spiked into the barber pole. I deployed the speed brakes and leveled the wings and attempted to hold the aircraft nose level on the horizon. I made a short call to ATC to report a turbulence event. The captain had been out of the cockpit on a restroom break and returned to the cockpit. The captain began coordination with ATC for expedited vectors to ZZZ and declared an emergency. We landed uneventfully approximately 25 mins after the incident. The 2 jolts lasted approximately 5-10 seconds.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AN A300 EXPERIENCED SEVERE TURB ON FINAL DSCNT INJURING PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS.

Narrative: THE FLT HAD BEEN NORMAL, NO TURB TO SPEAK OF -- A FEW BUMPS HERE AND THERE ALONG THE WAY. AT APPROX XA00 THE SEATBELT SIGN WAS TURNED ON TO INDICATE OUR INITIAL DSCNT. A PA WAS MADE TO FASTEN SEATBELTS SECURELY. AFTER THE ANNOUNCEMENT, I PROCEEDED DOWN ACFT R TO ACCOMPLISH A COMPLIANCE CHK FOR SEATBELTS. AS I PASSED THE 3R DOOR AND JUMPSEAT, I FELT A JOLT AND WAS THROWN OFF BAL INTO THE G SEAT AT ROW 24. I GRABBED THE 24 G SEATBACK AND TRIED TO HOLD ON. I REMEMBER SEEING THE FLT ATTENDANT IN FRONT OF ME, WHO WAS ALSO CHKING SEATBELTS AT APPROX ROW 21 OR 20, GO TO THE CEILING, ALSO PILLOWS/BLANKETS STARTED FLYING UP OUT OF THE SEATS. MY IMMEDIATE THOUGHT WAS TO GET INTO A PAX SEAT AND BUCKLE IN, BUT IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE FIRST JOLT BEFORE I COULD DO ANYTHING THERE WAS A SECOND JOLT THAT LIFTED ME OFF MY FEET INTO THE AIR. WHEN I CAME DOWN, I LANDED ON MY CHEST ACROSS THE ARMREST OF 24G SEAT. THE TURB CONTINUED, ULTIMATELY THROWING ME TO THE FLOOR BTWN THE FRONT OF SEAT 24G AND THE BACK OF SEAT 23G. I GRABBED THE METAL BAR UNDER SEAT 24G AND HELD ON UNTIL THE TURB SUBSIDED. THE TURB WAS STILL VERY SEVERE AND ALL I COULD DO WAS HOLD ON. ONCE THE TURB SUBSIDED AND I FELT I COULD GAIN CTL AND IT MIGHT BE SAFE TO GET UP FROM THE FLOOR, I CLBED INTO THE G SEAT AT ROW 25 WITH THE HELP FROM A PAX SEATED IN 25F AND WAS ABLE TO FASTEN A SEATBELT AROUND ME. AFTER A FEW MOMENTS TO COMPOSE MYSELF AND ASSESS THE SIT, I NOTICED A FLT ATTENDANT LYING IN THE AISLE AT APPROX ROW 21 OR 20. I GOT UP AND WENT TO HER. SHE INDICATED SHE COULD NOT MOVE HER ARM AND COULD NOT GET UP. I TOLD HER I WAS GOING TO GET HELP AND WOULD BE RIGHT BACK. I IMMEDIATELY GOT UP AND SAW THE PURSER, WHO WAS STRAPPED INTO JUMPSEAT 3L. HE HAD NO IDEA SHE WAS DOWN AND AFTER INFORMING HIM, HE CAME TO ASSESS HER SIT AND CONDITION. WITH THE HELP OF A PAX, WE GOT HER TO HER FEET AND INTO A SEAT SO SHE COULD STRAP IN JUST IN CASE WE ENCOUNTERED MORE TURB. AT THIS POINT, I STARTED TO ASSESS THE PAX AND CABIN CONDITIONS. WE LANDED APPROX 30 MINS AFTER THE INITIAL TURB WITHOUT FURTHER TURB. TO MY KNOWLEDGE APPROX 10 PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS WENT TO THE HOSPITAL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 636238: FO HAD JUST RETURNED TO HIS SEAT FROM A BLADDER BREAK AND I WAS IN THE FORWARD LAVATORY AT THE TIME OF THE TURB EVENT. I RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT IMMEDIATELY AND INSTRUCTED THE FO TO CONTINUE FLYING. THE FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED FROM THE BACK AND SAID THAT AT LEAST 6 PAX AND FLT ATTENDANTS HAD BEEN INJURED. I DECLARED AN EMER WITH CTR AND REQUESTED EXPEDITED VECTORS TO ZZZ. ALSO REQUESTED THROUGH COMPANY THAT MEDICAL PERSONNEL WOULD BE REQUIRED AT THE GATE. WE DID NOT RECEIVE ANY TURB RPTS FROM CTR AND THERE WERE NO TURB SIGMETS FOR OUR AREA. WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY AT ZZZ AND MET PARAMEDICS AT THE GATE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 636131: APPROX 5 MI S OF HOGGS INTXN, AROUND FL230, WE EXPERIENCED 2 RAPID JOLTS OF TURB. THERE WERE PRIMARILY ALT AND AIRSPD CHANGES. THE AUTOPLT KICKED OFF AND THE AIRSPD SPIKED INTO THE BARBER POLE. I DEPLOYED THE SPD BRAKES AND LEVELED THE WINGS AND ATTEMPTED TO HOLD THE ACFT NOSE LEVEL ON THE HORIZON. I MADE A SHORT CALL TO ATC TO RPT A TURB EVENT. THE CAPT HAD BEEN OUT OF THE COCKPIT ON A RESTROOM BREAK AND RETURNED TO THE COCKPIT. THE CAPT BEGAN COORD WITH ATC FOR EXPEDITED VECTORS TO ZZZ AND DECLARED AN EMER. WE LANDED UNEVENTFULLY APPROX 25 MINS AFTER THE INCIDENT. THE 2 JOLTS LASTED APPROX 5-10 SECONDS.

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.