Boeing 737 7H4 N936WN

Summary

On 6 September 2011 at about 17:09 local time, a Boeing 737 7H4 registered N936WN, operated by Southwest Airlines, was involved in an accident near Cape Coral, Florida, United States. 142 people were on board and one was seriously injured. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 September 2011 at 17:09

Classification

Accident

Location

Cape Coral, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.4400, -82.0500

Aircraft

Boeing 737 7H4

Registration

N936WN

Category

Airplane

Year built

2009

Engines

2

Operator

Southwest Airlines

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chicago → Fort Lauderdale

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DCA11CA116

1 person was seriously injured.

An encounter with convective turbulence during the descent.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

On September 6, 2011, at about 1209 EDT, Southwest Airlines flight 983, a B737-700, N936WN, encountered turbulence enroute from Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), Chicago, Illinois, to Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL), Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Of the five crew members and 137 passengers on board, one flight attendant received seriously injuries.  The airplane was not damaged. According to flight crew statements, air traffic control informed them to expect turbulence from thunderstorms in mid to south Florida.  In preparation for the possibility of turbulence, the captain called the flight attendants (FA) and advised them to close the galleys and to be seated and that they would likely be able to complete the cabin cleanup after clearing the weather at 10,000 feet.  The flight deviated west of the weather and mostly smooth conditions were experienced for about 20 minutes during the descent.  As the flight descended below about 14,000 feet, the flight momentarily encountered "large bumps" and two FAs were thrown to the floor after having just gotten out of their jump seats to finish cleaning up the aft galley.  As a result, one FA experienced severe pain in her leg and was unable to complete her duties for the remainder of the flight. The captain was immediately informed of the injured FAs condition and medical assistance was requested to meet the airplane at the gate.  After an uneventful landing, the FA was transported to the hospital and diagnosed with a broken leg.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.