Summary
On 25 January 2012, a Virgin Australia Boeing Company 737-81D aircraft, registered VH-YFC, (YFC) was being operated on a scheduled passenger service from Brisbane to Sydney.
On descent into Sydney YFC encountered unexpected and severe turbulence which lasted about 3 to 5 seconds. As a result, three unsecured cabin crew members sustained minor injuries.
Turbulence is one of the leading causes of in flight injuries and due to the nature of their work cabin crew are 26 times more likely to be injured than passengers. Measures likely to mitigate the risk of injury from unexpected turbulence include aircraft design and cabin crew training
Occurrence summary
| Investigation number | AO-2012-015 |
|---|---|
| Occurrence date | 25/01/2012 |
| Location | near Sydney Airport |
| State | New South Wales |
| Report release date | 24/05/2012 |
| Report status | Final |
| Investigation level | Short |
| Investigation type | Occurrence Investigation |
| Investigation status | Completed |
| Mode of transport | Aviation |
| Aviation occurrence category | Unrestrained occupants/objects |
| Occurrence class | Incident |
| Highest injury level | Minor |
Aircraft details
| Manufacturer | The Boeing Company |
|---|---|
| Model | 737 |
| Registration | VH-YFC |
| Serial number | 39413 |
| Aircraft operator | Virgin Australia |
| Sector | Jet |
| Operation type | Air Transport High Capacity |
| Departure point | Brisbane, Qld |
| Destination | Sydney, NSW |
| Damage | Nil |