The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has concluded its final report on Thursday that the probable cause of the severe turbulence encountered by a Hawaiian Airlines flight in 2022 was the crew’s decision to fly over a dangerous storm cell instead of navigating around it.
During the flight from Phoenix to Honolulu on December 18, 2022, three passengers and one crew member sustained serious injuries, and a total of twenty people were injured.
One crew member likened the turbulence to a “volcanic explosion,” while a passenger en route to the lavatory described being flung face-first into the ceiling and then abruptly thrown to the floor. The turbulence caused significant cabin damage, including missing ceiling panels, a broken overhead light, and a shattered flight attendant handset.
In a previous preliminary report, the captain mentioned that the flight had been smooth with clear skies until a cloud rapidly ascended before the aircraft, resembling a smoke plume, leaving no time for evasive action.
The NTSB’s latest report indicated that weather forecasts had predicted unstable atmospheric conditions and isolated thunderstorms. It determined that the incident was caused by the flight crew’s decision to fly over the observed storm cell despite meteorological data suggesting the potential for severe turbulence.
Hawaiian Airlines responded with a statement saying, “We regularly train our crews on significant weather avoidance, including in-air turbulence.
“Following Flight 35, we conducted a thorough internal review and cooperated with the NTSB to understand the factors that led the aircraft to encounter stronger than anticipated and reported turbulence. We will continue to learn as much as we can from this event.”
