Airbus A320 N918NK

Summary

On 8 February 2021 at about 13:30 local time, a Airbus A320 registered N918NK, operated by Spirit Airlines, was involved in an accident near Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States. 96 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

8 February 2021 at 13:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.6830, -80.0950

Aircraft

Airbus A320

Registration

N918NK

Category

Airplane

Operator

Spirit Airlines

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Not recorded

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DCA21LA082

1 person was seriously injured.

An abrupt flight control input by the flight crew during descent that caused a flight attendant to fall and fracture their ankle.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane experienced an abrupt maneuver during initial descent and a flight attendant fractured their ankle. According to the flight crew, just prior to top of descent the captain informed the flight attendants to prepare the cabin early because there was weather in the vicinity of the arrival airport. Shortly after that, the first officer (FO), who was the pilot flying, initiated the descent. Air traffic control then cleared the flight to a lower altitude and requested they increase their descent. The FO complied, and increased their vertical speed, however, at some point, he engaged "open descent" mode. The FO saw the airspeed increasing towards red line and he pulled back on the stick and the autopilot disengaged. The captain said he then took control using the autopilot disconnect/priority switch and applied aft stick pressure to return the airplane to a normal descent pitch attitude to prevent an overspeed. According to the flight crew, the airplane was in clear air and smooth flight conditions when the event occurred. Two flight attendants (FA) in the aft galley, were thrown into the air and onto the floor. The captain was notified that one of the FAs had been injured and would need assistance when they got to the gate. A deadheading FA assumed the injured FAs duties for the remainder of the flight. After landing, the FA was transported to a local hospital and diagnosed with a fractured ankle.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.