United Airlines Incident: Turbulence Warning Failures
Three flight attendants with United Airlines sustained serious injuries after a failure in communication from federal air traffic controllers regarding turbulence. This incident, which occurred on February 10, 2024, involved a plane that encountered rough air that had already generated a warning from another flight shortly before.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its concluding report, wrapping up a two-year investigation. The report indicates that controllers at the Boston Air Traffic Control Center breached Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) protocols by not informing United Flight 1890 about the moderate turbulence. The controller involved claimed he hadn’t received any warnings.
During its descent, a Boeing 777 traveling from Los Angeles to Newark unexpectedly dropped while flying at 21,500 feet above New York.
The findings highlighted several alarming incidents: one crew member suffered a spinal fracture after being thrown against the ceiling and then hitting the floor. Another attendant, while not directly hit, lost consciousness after colliding with a beverage cart, resulting in a fractured femur and spine compression. A third flight attendant was knocked into galley equipment, causing head injuries and intracranial bleeding.
Passengers, too, were affected by this turbulence. Some, who weren’t wearing seatbelts, hit the ceiling, including a child on a parent’s lap and an individual using the restroom, according to the NTSB.
Investigators noted that the controllers received 17 weather-related calls from pilots in the timeframe but managed to process less than half correctly. Importantly, the flight crew followed all necessary safety protocols.
Turbulence has been responsible for a significant number of injuries between 2009 and 2024, with reports indicating that 207 serious incidents required hospitalization for at least two days. Alarmingly, flight attendants are 24 times more likely to face serious injuries compared to passengers.
Criticism is mounting against the FAA for inadequate staffing in air traffic control facilities. A federal study from 2024 revealed that over 40 percent of terminals were operating below the required staffing levels.
