A339, en-route, north of Madagascar, 2023

A339, en-route, north of Madagascar, 2023

Summary

On 2 March 2023, an Airbus A330-900 level at FL390 encountered en route turbulence unanticipated by the two first officers occupying the pilot seats whilst the captain was in the crew rest area. All three pilots had only recently qualified on type. The risk of significant convective turbulence was not recognized in advance, which led to the seat belt signs being off until just prior to turbulence onset. The turbulence resulted in 6 severe and 16 minor injuries, all requiring hospital treatment. Multiple safety actions were implemented by the aircraft operator to reduce the risk of recurrence.

Description

On 2 March 2023, an Airbus A330-900 (D-ANRA) operated by Condor on a scheduled international passenger flight from Frankfurt to Mauritius as DE2314 in night visual conditions (VMC) prior to recognition of cloud ahead encountered significant turbulence. Avoidance action occurred too late, with the seat belt signs off until just prior to turbulence onset. Serious or lesser injury to 21 passengers and one of the cabin crew occurred as a result. The flight was completed to destination, and those injured were all taken to hospital for treatment. Considerable damage was caused to the passenger cabin ceiling, interior trim, and to seats and cabin lighting.

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